Four of a Kind
by KashmirLZ
Summary: It's been a year since Will and Frankie kissed in Prague. As they wrap up their latest mission, what comes next may be their biggest challenge yet.
1. Chapter 1

Four of a Kind

Chapter 1

In the hotel room the morning of their latest mission, Will woke up before Frankie and watched her as she slept. He couldn't believe how far they'd come since their first real kiss last year after the mission in Prague. Since that kiss they rarely spent a moment apart. This had been the happiest year of his life and he was cautiously optimistic it would only get better. Will ran out and got breakfast before Frankie woke up, surprising her with breakfast in bed.

"Good morning" Will greeted Frankie as she opened her eyes and stretched to wake up. "Good morning to you too. Wow, breakfast in bed and no eggs...you did listen." Frankie replied as she leaned into Will and kissed him on the lips. "Eat up" replied Will, we've got to get ready to leave soon. Let's go over the plan once more while you eat. As they reviewed the plan, Frankie jumped up out of bed. "Uh-oh" she said as she ran to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Frankie, are you ok?" Will asked through the bathroom door. Frankie had been in the bathroom for nearly ten minutes, losing what was left of her breakfast. Will was concerned because Frankie never got sick but she assured him it was the seafood she'd had for dinner last night, a choice she immediately regretted after the meal.

As soon as Frankie came out of the bathroom, Will asked her if she was up to the mission. "Of course" she said curtly. "It's no big deal, just a little food poisoning. I've been through a hell of a lot worse." They got dressed and left, headed out to complete the task at hand.

The mission went smooth with no complications. As they cuffed the target and escorted him out, Will heard Frankie say "Not again", as she puked all over the target's feet. "Ok" said Will, "As soon as we get back to the Hive, you're seeing the doctor". "I'm fine", snapped Frankie. "That doesn't look fine" Will responded, as he pointed to the target's feet. "Besides, you're looking kind of pale, at the very least you need some IV fluids to rehydrate you". Frankie wanted to argue back but she was feeling weaker by the minute and felt it best to let Will win this round.

Back at the Hive, Will processed the target as Frankie laid down on the couch of the closest office. After he finished, he went to check on her. She was looking even paler and weaker than before and he couldn't stand to see her in such misery. "Ok, let's go" he said as he put her arm around his shoulder and led her down to the infirmary. She was too weak and nauseated to put up a fight.

As they walked by, Jai and Standish asked Will what was wrong with Frankie. "My guess is she's either got the flu or food poisoning", Will said. Standish replied "Frankie...sick?!" Jai chimed in: "I can't remember her ever being ill." Standish responded with: "Me either. I just assumed germs were as scared of her as I am."

In the infirmary, Frankie was hooked up to IV fluids while the doctor ran some lab tests. Frankie was petrified of needles but felt too weak to put up a fight. Will, growing more concerned by the minute, held her hand as she rested. He too couldn't remember ever seeing Frankie this sick and a part of him started to panic, wondering if Ollerman was behind her illness.

After kissing Frankie in Prague, Will had received Standish's voicemail. He heard the message and Ollerman's voice telling Standish he shouldn't have killed Tina. Once he heard Standish yell, he knew something was wrong. Will immediately got Jai and Susan on the phone. They were able to locate Standish quickly, thanks to one of Jai's nanotrackers. Standish had ingested them when he got in the cookie stash Jai was working on at the Dead Drop. Luckily, Jai and Susan found him just in time. Standish had suffered heavy blood loss and was close to death when they finally located him. After two tense weeks in the hospital, Standish was on the road to recovery. Ollerman, on the other hand, was still out there. Since the Standish incident, they had been actively pursuing him but it's proven to be a bigger challenge than the team originally thought. Will knew they would never be completely safe until they could see Ollerman's cold, dead body laid out in the morgue. Will also thought about Griffin's warning: that Will was just a puppet and the pain inflicted by Ollerman after Emma's killing was just the beginning. Ollerman knew how much Frankie meant to Will. Was he coming after Frankie next? Will knew he had to turn up the heat in the search for Ollerman. He couldn't risk losing Frankie. Not now. Not ever.

About an hour later, Frankie came to and was feeling much better after the bag of IV fluids had finished. The doctor came in and asked if Frankie was ok with Will in the room as she talked to her. "Sure" Frankie replied, "whatever virus this is, he's probably going to have it next, might as well let him find out about it now". Without missing a beat, Will said, "aww thanks boo, I appreciate your concern".

The doctor looked at Frankie and said, "Well, we know what's causing you to be so sick, but it's not the flu or food poisoning as your friend here originally thought". Frankie, puzzled, replied, "then what's going on?" The doctor smiled and said, "Congratulations, you're pregnant." Will, who just took a sip of water before the doctor's announcement, spit-sprayed it across the room as he asked, "what did you just say?" Before the doctor could answer, Frankie looked at Will and said, "I changed my mind, get out!" Will, still in shock, replied, "Are you kidding me? I'm not going anywhere!" The doctor explained to Frankie that, according to the blood work, she was at least 8 weeks pregnant and since Frankie had told her earlier that her cycle was always off, the doctor understood now how Frankie didn't suspect she was pregnant. The doctor wanted to do an ultrasound right away due to the nature of Frankie's work and some of the other lab results. "Is something wrong?" Will asked. "Not necessarily, but the ultrasound will tell us more", replied the doctor. "I'm going to give you guys a few minutes to discuss things further while I go get the ultrasound machine."

After the doctor left the room, Frankie looked at Will and said "This is all your fault!" "My fault!?" Will objected. "We were always careful." Will and Frankie went silent as they both counted back eight weeks ago. Eight weeks ago they were hiding in a storage closet in Bulgaria as they waited for a target. Will was the first to bring it up. "Eight weeks...eight weeks...eight weeks ago we were in Bulgaria, in that storage closet waiting on the target. Remember, we had to wait forever, we were off coms and one thing led to another..." "Oh yeah", Frankie said, with a smile on her face. It had happened so spontaneously. They were in that closet for so long and he looked so sexy in that tight black t-shirt. She just couldn't help herself and, even thinking back, she didn't regret her decision. That was one of her favorite times with Will. Maybe it was the thrill of possibly getting caught or just that they were so close in such tight quarters. Either way, she had felt closer than ever to Will that day.

Before they had a chance to discuss things further, the doctor opened the door and wheeled the ultrasound machine into the room. Frankie laid back on the bed, Will right by her side. As the doctor scanned her abdomen, she felt a tear run down her cheek as she heard the heartbeat for the first time. This was a moment she'd always dreamed of but thought would never come. As hard as she tried to not show emotion, the sound of her baby's heartbeat broke through any and all barriers. She then focused her attention on the doctor and asked, "Is the baby ok?" "Well", the doctor replied, "your Hcg numbers, which are the levels of pregnancy hormone, were very high and now I see why. Congratulations again - you're having twins." As the doctor pointed out each baby on the screen, Frankie could no longer hold back her tears. She broke down, overjoyed that she would get to be a mother not once, but twice. And the best part about it: she was having twins with her best friend and soul mate.

Meanwhile, Will was an emotional basket case. He grabbed Frankie's hand as the ultrasound machine turned on and his grip got tighter and tighter with each word from the doctor. His eyes were red and he was crying so hard he could barely see the screen. He loved Frankie so much and didn't think he could possibly feel any deeper love for her. However, the image of their babies on the screen proved him wrong. They had come so far over these past couple of years. He fell for her the moment he saw her in that red dress in Russia. If he was being honest with himself, he'd told himself that night he could see his future children in her eyes, but never thought it would actually happen. Even though he'd asked twice before and she said she wasn't ready, the emotion of finding out they were pregnant with twins overcame him as he blurted out, "Frankie, I have loved you from the minute your eyes met mine. I love you more now than ever before. I don't care if you want to blame me for this...I'll gladly take the blame. You are all I've ever wanted and all I'll ever need. As the mother of my children, would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Frankie, still in shock over everything that had just transpired, looked at Will. She wanted so bad to say yes but was afraid to get caught up in the emotion of the moment. "Will, I love you too and I'm not saying no but we have a lot to talk about first." She kissed Will on the lips and he didn't argue with her stance. Frankie then turned to the doctor and asked what comes next.

The doctor told Frankie and Will both babies looked healthy and she'd follow up with them in a month. To Frankie's dismay, she told Frankie she would not be cleared for field duty until after the birth of the twins. According to the doctor, even the sound of gunfire could cause the babies to go into distress and unless Frankie could guarantee every bad guy used a silencer, then desk duty and support it would be for the remainder of her pregnancy. The doctor wiped the ultrasound gel off Frankie, printed a couple of copies of the ultrasound pictures for them, gave Frankie a prescription for anti-nausea medicine and prenatal vitamins, then excused herself once all their questions were answered.

Will braced Frankie's back as he helped her sit up straight. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him slowly. This was the happiest she'd ever been in her life and it was both an exhilarating and frightening feeling all at once. "Will, I want to talk about this and our plans for the future but I'm exhausted. Once I rest up, we'll talk. I promise. In the mean time, until we get everything worked out, I think we should wait before telling the team." "Agreed" replied Will. "But listen, I'm here and not going anywhere. I'm going to wait on you hand and foot so be prepared!" Frankie nodded and smiled. She could think of worse things to put up with.

As Will and Frankie left the infirmary and walked past Jai and Standish, Jai asked Frankie if she was feeling better. Before Frankie could answer, Susan came running up behind them bursting with excitement and hugging both of them at the same time. "Congratulations you guys! I'm soooo excited for you!" Frankie and Will both looked at Jai. Frankie lifted her eyebrow and looked at Jai like she was going to shoot him right there in his seat. "Really Jai? I know you love to bug us but c'mon already!" Jai, creeping out of his seat to add distance between him and Frankie replied "In my defense, I bugged both of you _before_ the mission. How was I supposed to know you'd wind up in the infirmary Francesca?" Standish, not missing a beat, runs up to Will with his hand held high in the air. "Twins! You _are the man_, Will. High five!" "Thanks" Will says, catching Frankie's disapproving stare out of the corner of his eye, "but I can't high five that". Will, sensing they are losing control of the moment, announces to the team, "Thanks guys but we still have a lot to talk about and figure out before we go public with this so keep it under wraps please." Just then, Ray comes running around the corner. "Bro, twins! Dude, I'm so excited for you guys!-Please don't shoot me." Ray says, as Frankie reaches for her weapon. "Lucky for you, I'm now allowed to fire it while I'm pregnant." Frankie tells Ray. Ray, not thinking, looks at Will and says "In that case, any way you could keep her pregnant forever?" Will shakes his head, grabs Frankie's hand, and they leave before she has a chance to attach the silencer to the end of her weapon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, Frankie and Will boarded the plane to head back home. After getting a good night's rest, Frankie was willing to talk and the flight gave them the chance to do just that.

"Will, there are a million things running through my mind right now and this whole situation still seems a little surreal to me but I would like to talk if you're up to it." Frankie said as she held Will's hand. "Oh my gosh," Will said, enthusiastically. "I didn't think you'd be up to talking until we got home. I'm so excited...I made a list..." Will said, pulling a journal from the inside of his jacket. "Of course you did", Frankie said sarcastically.

Will started to go down the list when Frankie grabbed his hand and interlaced her fingers with his. "Will", she said, "there's something I want to tell you." Will, sensing something was bothering Frankie, stopped, looked her in the eyes, and said, "You can tell me anything. You know that right?" Frankie smiled briefly as she replied, "Yes. It's just…this whole pregnancy thing…it caught me off guard. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's something I've always wanted but just never thought would happen and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." Seeing Will was a little confused, Frankie continued, "I know we talked about kids briefly when we were watching baby Will together but, I guess I'd just told myself it would _never_ happen. I mean, I've been shot, stabbed, kicked, you name it, and I just didn't think I'd be _physically_ able to get pregnant due to the hits my body's taken. I had settled into the thought I'd never have kids for so long that, now that it's happening, I'm a little nervous to let my guard down and get excited about it."

Will, sensing Frankie's internal conflict, replied, "I understand." He took his hand and rested it on her abdomen as he said, "It's ok, Frankie. This _is_ happening and I'm going to be right here with you every step of the way. The doctor said everything looked good. We've got two little ones growing in here and, despite me joking with you when we watched baby Will, I know you will be a great mom!"

Frankie smiled, laid her head on Will's shoulder, and said, "Liar. But I appreciate you trying to make me feel better." Will, chuckling to himself, said, "I mean I _do_ think you'll be a good mom. It's just…I feel sorry for _anyone_ that messes with our kids." "Yeah," Frankie replied, "I'll just shoot them." They both laughed, which lightened the mood.

"Allright," Frankie said, "let's take a look at that list."

Will pulls the list out and at the top is living arrangements. "I was hoping you'd move in with me, since my apartment's bigger than yours," he says to Frankie.

Frankie, feeling a familiar lump in her throat at the thought of moving in together, replies, "I know that would be the easiest thing to do and you're right…your apartment is bigger." "But?" Will asks, sensing the hesitation in her voice. "But, this is one of those topics, like marriage, that make me want to run the other way. I need to _ease_ into it, not jump in with both feet." Frankie replies. She grabs his forearm and says, "How about this: I'll bring my stuff over a little at a time but keep my apartment for now." "Deal!" Will says with excitement.

Frankie had secretly hoped Will would suggest these exact living arrangements and although the thought of giving up her own place terrified her, she preferred to wake up next to Will each morning. He _was_ home and being in his arms made her feel safer than any place on earth. She just couldn't let him know that – at least not yet.

For the remainder of the flight they discussed the rest of the list. Will had covered all the bases, from books they should read to baby names. Frankie just listened and smiled. She never thought she'd ever find someone like Will, much less have a family with him. She also didn't think it was possible to love him anymore than she did. However, hearing him talk about their kids and the way he's so excited about every detail of the circumstances surrounding this pregnancy proved her wrong.

Back in New York, Frankie and Will each went to their own apartments. The plan was for Frankie to pack a bag and come back to Will's place. They both had a meeting early the next morning with the Bureau Chief to discuss the future of the team and how it would look now that Frankie was expecting.

Frankie turned the key to her apartment and was shocked to see a large gift basket on her table as she walked in. Confused, she read the card: "I know this will be our longest mission yet. Thanks for taking the lead and doing the hard part. I'll always have your six. Love, your annoying Dork." Frankie felt her heart melt as a smile came across her face. In the basket were a variety of relaxation lotions, candles, and snacks recommended for pregnant women. In the back, she noticed a pair of fuzzy slippers, identical to the ones she wore and fell in love with on their mission in Spain.

Frankie called Will to thank him for the basket. "How did you pull this off?" she asked. "Let's just say your building manager is easy to bribe. You should probably be a little concerned about that." Will replied. "Well, I won't have to worry about that much longer" she said, which excited Will. "By the way," Frankie said, "if you were trying to make points to get lucky tonight, it totally worked!" "Bring the slippers," Will said, "_only_ the slippers". Frankie laughed as she said, "you really are a dork!"

She quickly threw a bag together and headed to Will's apartment.

After meeting with the Bureau Chief the next morning, the team met at The Dead Drop to talk about the events of the meeting and how it would affect the team. Will took the lead and told them that since Frankie was pregnant and they had run into a lot of people from their past on previous missions, the Bureau decided they should take a break from international missions and handle only domestic issues, at least until Frankie had the babies. He also explained that Susan, Jai, Standish, and yes, even Ray, would take turns in the field with him.

Frankie would stay behind and lend support on coms. As excited as she was about being pregnant, the thought of staying behind and not being able to watch Will's back in the field was an anxious feeling she couldn't shake.

Jai, noticing the nervous look on his friend's face, walked over to her. "Hey Frankie, can I ask a favor?"

"Only if I can ask you one in return," Frankie replied. Jai said, "Sure, what's on your mind?" Frankie, with as serious of a face as Jai's ever seen on her, said, "I need you to work your magic and make some of your masterpieces that will keep Will safe." "One step ahead of you, Francesca." said Jai. Frankie was Jai's oldest friend. As soon as he knew she was expecting and couldn't work in the field, he stared working on new gadgets to protect Will and whomever joined him in the field. Knowing Frankie as well as he did, he knew it was just a matter of time before she made this request of him. Jai knew how happy Will made his friend and he couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to Will. Not only for Frankie and the babies' sake but his as well, as Jai, against his better judgement, had bonded with Will too.

"So", Frankie said to Jai, "what favor did you need from me?" Jai smiled as he said, "I know this is an odd request, but, when you have your baby shower, can I be in charge of the gender reveal? You know how much I enjoy making things that explode and I have some _really_ cool ideas for the gender reveal." Frankie, laughing at Jai's excitement, said, "Absolutely. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather have in charge of that."

Ray was occupying Will's time and Susan took this opportunity to talk to Frankie. They hadn't had a chance to talk since Frankie found out she was pregnant and Susan could tell her friend was all over the map emotionally. "Hey sweetie, how are you doing?" asked Susan. Frankie, feeling safe enough to be honest with Susan, said, "Honestly, I'm not sure".

"How about we go grab something to eat and talk about it?" Susan suggested. Frankie nodded in agreement. Susan went up to Ray and Will and informed them that she and Frankie would be heading out for lunch – alone. They kissed their respective guys goodbye and headed out.

While at lunch, Frankie unloaded all of her fears on Susan. "I mean, I'm having his kids, so why am I so scared to fully commit to Will? I know I'm in love with him but there's this part of me that just won't fully let go to let him in completely. It's like some sort of internal force field and I just don't know how to get rid of it."

Susan, seeing how conflicted Frankie was, said, "Honey, what you're going through is normal. After the pain you've endured throughout your life, it's just a defense mechanism. It's perfectly fine that you feel this way and, unfortunately, only time will help break it down. Frankie, you have come so, so far since you and Will met that night in Russia. Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll get there. I promise."

Frankie thanked Susan as she gave her a hug. "See", Susan said, "A year ago you wouldn't have hugged me like that." "You're right. I guess I _am_ making progress." Frankie replied. Just then, Frankie had an idea as to how she could show Will she was fully committed to him and their family.

Susan noticed the look on Frankie's face. "Oh girl, I _know_ that look…that's your idea face. I _love_ your idea face!" Susan said, smiling at Frankie.

Frankie, still displaying her smiling idea face, said to Susan, "I do have an idea but I'm gonna need some help to pull it off. Think you can help me?"

"Girl, you know I'm _always_ in!" Susan said, as she listened to Frankie's plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Frankie and Will arrived at the doctor's office for Frankie's regular check-up. The doctor she originally saw at the Hive transferred her records back home so she could be followed by the local Bureau doctor.

While they waited, Frankie looked over at Will. He was reading as many of the pregnancy magazines he could find. She even laughed when he went up to the receptionist to ask if he could take one of the magazines that had an article he wanted to keep. "You could have just taken it with you...they have other copies", Frankie said to Will.

"Yes, but that would be stealing. I can't _steal_ in front of our kids Frankie". Will said seriously.

Frankie just rolled her eyes. She knew he was too much of a Boy Scout to just take it but she enjoyed giving him a hard time about it. Plus, just like their time in Spain, she found him sexy when he went into full honesty mode. If Will would be this honest about something so insignificant, Frankie knew she could trust him with the bigger issues that may come down the road.

"Ms. Trowbridge, you can come back now" the nurse said from the waiting room door.

Frankie and Will made their way to the back and the nurse took them to the ultrasound room. "The doctor would like for you to have your ultrasound first so she can review the results with you when she sees you", the nurse explained.

As the tech came in and started the ultrasound, Frankie and Will were both amazed at how much bigger the babies had gotten since the last ultrasound. They could see the tiny hands and feet and even see the little hearts beating on the screen. No matter how many times they saw them, the images always brought both Frankie and Will to tears.

Frankie was in her second trimester and they knew today they should be able to find out the gender of the babies. As the tech took picture after picture, she asked Frankie and Will if they would like to know today what they are having. Frankie had discussed Jai's request with Will and they both agreed to wait until the baby shower and let Jai have his moment to reveal the genders of their babies.

"We want to wait until the gender reveal at our baby shower" Frankie explained.

"No problem, I'll just put the results in sealed envelopes for you" replied the tech.

A while later, when they met with the doctor, they were relieved to get a good report. The doctor told Frankie that she needed to avoid as much stress as possible (considering the nature of her work) but otherwise everything looked good.

On the way home, Frankie told Will that Kelly had invited them up for dinner this coming weekend. Frankie said she'd really like to go so she could show Kelly the latest ultrasound pictures. However, what she couldn't tell Will is that Kelly was in on the surprise plan with Frankie and Susan and she needed to get a few details finalized asap.

"Absolutely" Will said, super excited. "I just got this new video game for Tommy and I've been dying to play it with him". Since Daniel's incarceration, Will had become like a big brother to Tommy. Spending time with him, helping him with his soccer moves, even taking him camping. Frankie, thinking about all of this. smiled as she rubbed her growing baby bump and thought about how great a dad Will is going to be.

As soon as they arrived at Kelly's, Will ran inside and high-fived Tommy like a 10 year old kid. "Hey, check out this game I just got you" Will said to Tommy, unable to contain his excitement. "That's exactly the one I've been asking for!", Tommy replied while jumping up and down. "C'mon Will, let's go play it now" Tommy said, as they both ran back to Tommy's room.

Kelly looked at Frankie and asked, "How old did you say Will is?" Frankie replied, "Apparently 45 going on 10", as they both started laughing simultaneously.

"So, let me see the latest pictures of those grandkids", Kelly said. "Are you ok with me calling them my grandkids?" she asked Frankie.

"Kelly, you're the closet thing they will ever have to a grandparent, at least on my side. Of course I'm ok with it, if you are." Frankie said with a tear in her eye.

"Good!" said Kelly, "we also need to talk about the plans for Will's surprise before we do dinner."

After dinner, Will asked Kelly a million questions about parenthood and the things he'd been reading since finding out Frankie was pregnant. Will could see Frankie was getting tired and Kelly suggested they stay in the guest room overnight, since it was already late.

"Good idea", Will said. "I'll go out to the car and get our emergency bag.", he said to Frankie.

"Emergency bag?" Kelly asked in Frankie's direction, after Will had gone outside.

Frankie, shaking her head and laughing, said "He read an article that said you should always have an emergency bag packed and ready for when it's close to the due date". "Will, however, had the damn thing packed when I was three months pregnant and it's been there ever since." Frankie told Kelly, still laughing.

"Wow, you were right, he's not just a Boy Scout, he's a freaking Eagle Scout!", laughed Kelly. "But I think it's sweet and Frankie I can tell he loves you and these babies more than anything. I know you're still nervous about jumping in with both feet but I don't think you will find anyone safer to let have your heart than that man-boy right out there", Kelly said pointing outside and laughing with Frankie.

"I know...you're right. That's why I want this plan to be perfect. He deserves that.", said Frankie.

"And so do you, Frankie. So do you. I love you kiddo", Kelly said as she hugged Frankie.

"I love you too, Kelly" Frankie said.

In the guest room, Frankie and Will settled in for the night. Frankie was laying on her back and Will moved down so he could talk to her baby bump.

"Time for your bedtime story little ones." Will said to Frankie's belly

Will had decided to read a story to the babies every night once he read in one of the baby books that a baby can hear when you talk to them and will recognize the parent's voice once they are born.

Frankie, skeptical at first of the logic behind such a story, was a true believer once she could feel the babies move. It seemed the more Will talked to the babies, the more active they became. That's all it took for her to start talking to them too.

"Wow!" Frankie said, as she jumped a little. "They must really be ready for a story because it feels like they're doing somersaults in there tonight."

Will put his hand on her belly to feel the babies move. He read them "Goodnight Moon" and smiled as they became more active as the story progressed. When the story was over, Will kissed Frankie's belly, told them to settle down so their mom could get some sleep, and said goodnight to the babies. He then focused his attention to Frankie.

Frankie couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole story. Even though it had become a nightly tradition on the days Will wasn't out on a mission, she never got tired of listening to him read to the babies and how he talked to them as if they were already born. Her heart nearly burst from the amount of love she felt for Will and, even though these deep emotions scared her to death at times, she wouldn't trade them for the world.

As Will leaned up to kiss her goodnight, Frankie cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Not the usual peck on the cheek, but a long, loving kiss that caught Will off guard.

"Wow, what was that for?", Will asked.

Frankie, staring into Will's eyes, replied, "That was for being you. For being the best father and partner a girl could ever ask for. I love you, Will."

"I love you too Frankie." Will replied. "Uh, quick question...will you marry me yet?"

"Not yet.", Frankie said quickly. "But maybe one day. There's a lot of pressure that comes with being Mrs. Captain America, you know. I'm trying to work through it."

"I understand.", said Will disappointed. "Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere and, in your condition, I don't think you are either." Will said, smiling at Frankie.

Frankie punched Will in the shoulder as they laughed together and settled into bed.

Frankie knew she needed to get as much rest as possible because next week would be one of her biggest emotional challenges to date - spending a week with Will's family.


	4. Chapter 4

As the plane landed in Will's hometown, Frankie felt her nerves jump into high gear. Will grabbed her hand and, noticing how sweaty her palm was, asked if she was ok.

Frankie had technically met Will's parents via a few video chats while she was at Will's apartment but this would be the first time she's met them in person. All she could envision is the perfect family sitting around a fully stocked dining room table like a Norman Rockwell painting. Then there, at the end of the table would be her, sticking out like a sore thumb. Frankie had come a long way but she knew this week would test her more than anything thus far in their relationship. Still, she wanted this week to be perfect. Not for her but for Will. He was so excited for this week and she didn't want to do anything to screw that up for him.

"Frankie?" , Will asked again, seeing she was in deep thought.

Frankie, realizing Will was talking to her, shook her head to come out of her thoughts and said, "Huh? I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you were ok. Your palms are sweaty and you're a million miles away mentally. Are you nervous about this week?" Will asked her.

Frankie, downplaying her fears, said, "Oh, yeah, I'm ok. Just thinking about how differently we both grew up. This is all new to me. I just don't want to disappoint you."

Will, pulling Frankie's chin up and holding her face, looked her in the eyes and said "Frankie, you could never disappoint me.", as he kissed her gently.

Frankie, smiling at Will and not missing a beat, replied, "Never say never!"

After exiting the plane, Will and Frankie got in their rental car and headed to his parents' house. Normally, his parents would insist on picking them up from the airport themselves but Will wanted to take Frankie on the scenic route and show her where he grew up.

"And now for the tour of Caucasian Corners.", Will said as they both laughed, reminded of Jai's description of his hometown.

Will's parents, Richard and Laurie Chase, have been married for over fifty years. Richard worked in the private sector after serving in the military. Laurie taught school for a time. When Richard decided to retire, she did too so they could travel and spend more time together. They set the bar for what a marriage should look like. Even through the loss of their oldest son Kevin, they managed to grow closer with each passing day. Recently, their middle child Erin, had moved back home after suffering career-ending injuries while serving in the military overseas. Will, due to the nature of his job, didn't get to visit very often and they were thrilled to get to spend an entire week with him and Frankie. They didn't know much about Frankie, just what Will has told them. Every time he calls he talks about her constantly. They could tell how much Will loved Frankie just by the way he talked about her. They enjoyed the few times they spoke with her through video chat. They commented on how beautiful Frankie is and how much they appreciate how she makes Will so happy. More than anything, they were absolutely ecstatic at the thought of becoming grandparents. Kevin wasn't married and didn't have kids at the time of his death. Erin too is unmarried and, although they hope she'll give them grandkids in the future, she's been struggling so much with her PTSD that they weren't sure if it would ever happen. When Will called them and told them he and Frankie were expecting twins, Laurie kicked her homemaker skills into high gear. She started baby quilts for both babies and had even finished one for Frankie that she wanted to surprise her with this weekend.

An hour after they left the airport, Will and Frankie pulled into his parent's driveway.

Frankie took a deep breath as looked around at the beautiful house and neighborhood. "Crap.", she thought to herself, "If the house and yard look this perfect from the outside, I can't imagine the sunshine and rainbows they'll be puking all over the inside of the house."

"Ok, let's go see your parents." Frankie said to Will with a nervous smile on her face.

Will rang the doorbell and his father opened the door. "Hey dad!" Will said as he embraced his father. "You remember Frankie?"

"How could I forget that beautiful face?", Richard replied as he gently hugged Frankie next.

Frankie was still getting use to the whole hugging thing but didn't put up a fight. She knew if she was going to be a Chase one day that hugging was mandatory. Thankfully, her time with Kelly had helped her ease back into hugging people - certain people.

Right behind Richard was Laurie. "There's my baby!" she said as she kissed Will's cheek and gave him a big hug.

"Now, where's my daughter-in-law and grandbabies?", Laurie said, looking around Will.

"Uh, mom, we're not married, remember?", Will whispered to her, trying to not make Frankie uncomfortable.

"I know!", replied Laurie, "But can't a mom hope?" she said with a laugh.

"Hi, Mrs. Chase." Frankie said, "It's so good to see you in person."

"Call me mom", Laurie said to Frankie as she gave her a hug. "How are my grandbabies? Oh my gosh, look how cute your baby belly is!", Laurie continued, as she started to tear up.

"We were beginning to think we'd never have grandkids so you'll have to excuse me. This is just the greatest thing ever!" Laurie said, smiling and crying at the same time.

Frankie, understanding the feeling, asked, "They must be pretty excited to be here too because they're moving around quite a bit. Would you like to feel them?" Laurie, without hesitation, put her hand on Frankie's belly and started crying even harder as she felt the babies move as she talked to them. "I can't wait to meet you two in person", she said in the sweetest voice.

Frankie couldn't help but get emotional too. Maybe it was the hormones. Maybe it was the thought of how much she missed her parents and wished they could be here to one day meet her kids too. More than likely, it was a combination of everything. Will's mom was so sweet and she couldn't help but let her guard down and enjoy the moment. She was grateful she'd found Will. But now, she realized how lucky she was to be a member of his family too.

Frankie, Will, and his parents made their way to the kitchen. The house smelled wonderful as the aroma of a huge family dinner made its way throughout the house. As they entered the kitchen, a woman stood at the refrigerator, door open, and her arms full of snacks. She grabbed a couple of beers and as she went to close the door, she noticed everyone looking at her. She had on a bathrobe that had seen better days, her hair was half put-up, sticking out everywhere, and she looked like she hadn't slept for days.

"Erin", Laurie said to the woman, "Will and Frankie are finally here!"

Will, being Will, opened his arms and headed in for the hug. "Hey sis! It's been so long since I've seen you. I missed you so much!" he said.

Before Will was halfway across the room, Erin closed the fridge, nodded a muffled "Hey" with little emotion, and headed for the basement, slamming the door behind her.

Laurie, looking embarrassed, said to Will and Frankie, "You'll have to excuse her. She's not been the same since she was injured. She's going to her therapy appointments at the VA for her PTSD but I'm so worried about her. She's so closed off, she won't talk about anything or anyone. It's like she doesn't care about anything or anyone at all anymore. That's not our Erin."

Will, sensing his mom getting upset and not wanting the hug he started to get wasted, embraced his mom and said, "It's ok mom. I'll give her some time and talk to her later." He didn't want Laurie to see the look of concern in his face but Will was very worried about Erin. The sister he remembered was always joking around, making fun of him, but would tell him anything. The woman at the fridge, however, was a total stranger to him.

Frankie, on the other hand, was intrigued at the exchange that had just happened. The woman at the fridge was very familiar to her. The lack of emotion, refusal to engage in conversation more than the minimum, and definite avoidance of any physical contact reminded her of someone. That someone was herself, as little as two years ago. What Frankie recognized more than anything was the deeper cause of Erin's change in behavior. Erin was in pain. Sure, she's probably got some lingering physical pain, but deep, emotional pain is the cause of the person that ran off into the basement. Frankie knew that pain better than anyone and, while most people would have taken that first impression of Erin and labeled her as rude, Frankie actually felt sorry for her. Sure, the trauma of combat itself is enough to change a person, but Frankie knew there was a deeper, personal pain causing Erin to act out. This intrigued Frankie and it would nag at her the remainder of the week.

"Ok, let's eat!" Laurie said, trying to lighten the mood.

The table was set perfectly. Frankie was right...it _did_ look like a Norman Rockwell painting. However, after the exchange that just took place in the kitchen, she realized she fit right in at the table. Sure the Chase family seemed perfect in every way from the outside but the encounter with Erin was actually a welcome relief. It showed they _were_ actually human and still had issues, just like the rest of the real world. She made a mental note to thank Erin later. Because of Erin, Frankie felt she could finally relax and enjoy the week.

After a wonderful meal, including dessert, everyone made their way back to the living room to visit. Frankie tried to help Laurie with the dishes but Laurie insisted she rest and said she'd take care of them later.

"Right now," Laurie said, "all I want to do is sit and talk and catch up with you two."

They spent the next couple of hours talking about the last two years, discussing everything from how Will and Frankie met and when they realized they loved each other to asking Frankie a million questions about where she grew up, etc. Will was nervous Frankie may get freaked out at the line of questioning but Frankie, to her surprise, found it extremely easy to talk and open up to Will's parents, especially Laurie.

Sensing Frankie was getting tired, Laurie said, "Well, we should let you get some sleep. But before you head up to bed, I have something for you."

"For me?" Frankie asked as Laurie walked across the room and opened a cedar chest, pulling out a beautiful hand-made quilt.

"Frankie, I made this for you." Laurie told her. "I know you guys are not _technically_ married but I still consider you a daughter. You make my baby boy so happy and carrying my grandkids...I just can't tell you how much I appreciate and love you for that!", Laurie continued, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Frankie, at a total loss for words, said emotionally, "I don't know what to say. This is beautiful. I've never had someone make something so nice for me before. Thank you so much!"

Frankie hugged Laurie as Will and his dad looked on.

"Good night you two", Richard said as Will and Frankie headed up to bed.

When they settled into bed, Will noticed Frankie looking closely at the quilt his mom made, now covering them in bed.

"Do you like it?" Will asked, noticing the smile on Frankie's face.

"No," said Frankie, "I LOVE it! Look at the detail in each of these squares. I'm amazed at the time and hard work she put into this. It's like you can actually _feel_ the love coming from it. I've not felt that kind of love since my parents..." Frankie stopped as she started to cry.

"It's ok Frankie, it's ok", Will said as he held her close. "I didn't want it to get you upset." he said

"Will the way you love me is different obviously from a parents' love. Kelly has been there for me but, until recently, she wasn't the type of parent to _show_ love. My parents showed me how much they loved me all the time. Since they died, I've had this hole in my heart where that type of love is missing. It wasn't until this moment tonight that I've felt that type of love again. I didn't realize just _how much_ I missed it until now. I'm not upset. These are happy tears, joyful tears. But if you EVER tell the team I told you this...I will shoot you dead!" Frankie said, laughing and crying at the same time.

"There it is." Will responded. "I knew the _real _Frankie would put the kibosh on emotional Frankie before this went too much further." Will laughed.

"Don't read too much into it." Frankie said, "I'm pretty sure all these emotions are just the damn hormones...I mean I do have _double_ the amount of a normal pregnancy."

"Uh-huh. Whatever you have to tell yourself." Will responded.

"Seriously though," Frankie said to Will, "Your parents are great and your sister...I _really_ like her. Did she remind you of anyone when we saw her in the kitchen?"

Will, so caught up in being concerned about Erin, totally missed the obvious connection. "No. As a matter of fact, I didn't even recognize her. Who does she remind you of?"

"Me. Two years ago.", Frankie replied. "Closed off from everyone. Refusing to bond or make relationships. I know that pain. Your sister is hurting. It goes deeper than PTSD due to combat. There's something more personal going on with her. She's on edge. Like she may snap at any moment. "

"Holy crap!" Will exclaimed. "Why didn't I notice that myself? You're right...she _was_ acting just like you when we first met. Well, if I could get through to you, I can get through to her. The sister I knew is still in there somewhere."

"Are you gonna infect her with your charm virus too?", Frankie asked. "Because she's your sister and that's...well gross."

Will, cutting a disgusted look at Frankie, replied, "Look, there are different _versions _of the charm virus. One for friends, one for family, and one for Frankie!", he said with a smile as he kissed Frankie on the lips.

"Ok, dork." Frankie said with a smile.

"Yes, but I'm _your_ dork." Will replied as he settled in to read the twins their bedtime story and their nightly routine.

The next morning, Frankie slept in. She'd been more tired as her pregnancy progressed and the bed they were in was so comfortable, it was like sleeping on clouds. When she finally woke up, it was around ten am and she found a note Will left for her on the nightstand.

"Good morning Franks. You were sleeping so sound I didn't want to wake you. Dad and I are heading out to play a round of golf. I thought maybe it would give you and mom some time to spend together. We'll be back sometime this afternoon. I've got my phone if you need me. Take care of my little ones too. I love you, Will"

Frankie smiled as she read the note. This actually worked out perfect because she wanted some time to speak to Laurie alone regarding her surprise for Will. The Chase family would be a big part of the plan and she wasn't sure how she'd get Laurie alone to talk about it other than a shopping trip, which would be total hell for Frankie. Frankie hopped in the shower, got dressed, and headed to the kitchen.

Laurie was in the kitchen, already making plans for dinner and doing some baking.

"Good morning honey" Laurie said to Frankie. "How are the three of you this morning?"

"Honestly, I feel better than I have in a long time. The bed was sooo comfortable I was actually able to get some decent sleep for a change." Frankie replied.

"I made you some breakfast. Kept it in the oven warmer. Will told me you don't do eggs. I hope the rest will be ok for you." Laurie said while serving the plate to Frankie. "Got you a glass of juice too...I know you need your Vitamin C."

"Thank you." Frankie replied. "I see where Will gets his cooking skills from. Maybe you could give me some pointers while I'm here. I'm not much of a cook but I'd like to learn."

"Absolutely!" Laurie said with excitement. "I'd love to show you."

As Frankie ate, Laurie sat down across from her at the table so they could talk.

"Mrs. Cha..I mean mom", Frankie caught herself as she looked at Laurie. "I wanted to talk to you about something I have planned for Will. It's a surprise, a huge surprise, but I need help to pull it off. I thought maybe while the guys were gone I could talk to you about it and get your help, if you don't mind. Then, you can tell Will's dad all about it. The biggest thing is making sure Will doesn't find out about it ahead of time."

"Of course, dear." Laurie said, as she grabbed Frankie's hand. "Whatever you need from us, count us in. We will help in any way possible and don't worry...our lips shall remain sealed!", she continued as she patted the back of Frankie's hand.

Frankie proceeded to tell Laurie about the surprise. The more Frankie told her, the more excited Laurie got. Before Frankie knew it, Laurie was throwing out ideas that Frankie hadn't thought about. Laurie, with tons of time on her hands, was going to be a great help, Frankie thought. This kind of thing was right up her alley.

After their talk, Frankie got up to put her plate in the sink. Erin came around the corner, headed again to the fridge. She looked exactly the same as she had the day before, just another day rougher.

"Good morning, Erin.", Frankie said. It wasn't in Frankie's nature to be so welcoming, but she felt a connection to Erin for some reason. She felt sorry for Erin, but wasn't sure why.

"It's noon." grumbled Erin, in Frankie's direction. "And look, I know you and my sappy brother will be here for the week, but don't feel the need to speak every time you see me, ok? In fact, I'd prefer you didn't."

"Now Erin, there's no need to be rude!" Laurie snapped at her.

"No, it's ok.", Frankie interjected.

Erin returned to the basement and Laurie apologized again to Frankie. Frankie, again finding it so easy to open up to Laurie, explained to her that she understood where Erin was coming from. Frankie told Laurie how it was kind of like looking in a mirror last night, to the person she was two years ago.

"Honestly, if someone would have told me back then, when I was in that frame of mind, that two years later I'd be pregnant with twins and actually in love with their father, I would have shot them just for good measure." Frankie said.

Laurie, laughing, replied, "believe it or not, I can see how strong a woman you are and I totally could see you doing that."

They both laughed. Frankie, thinking about all of this, looked at Laurie and asked, "would you mind if I go downstairs and try to talk to her? I don't want to make things worse but I think I could maybe get through to her."

"Look, at this point, I'm ok with trying anything." Laurie said to Frankie. "Just please be careful. She would never hurt you in your condition but I don't want you getting upset either."

"I'll be ok. I'm just gonna grab a couple of these bottled root beers in the fridge and head on down there. If I'm not back in an hour, come looking for me." Frankie said with a smile.

"Good luck!" Laurie replied.

The basement of the Chase home, like every other room, was perfectly put together... or at least it _had_ been. It was a finished basement, basically made into a small apartment, minus a full kitchen. There were clothes thrown everywhere, dirty dishes on every flat surface, and it smelled more like a frat house than a spare room with all of the empty beer bottles, cans, and liquor bottles lying around.

Frankie opened the door to the basement and called for Erin.

When Erin didn't answer, Frankie cautiously started down the stairs, not wanting to startle Erin.

As she approached the bottom of the stairs, it was Erin who startled Frankie.

"What do _you_ want?" Erin said from across the room. "I thought I made myself clear earlier that there's no need for us to visit, much less talk."

Frankie, trying to catch her breath from being caught off guard, replied, "Look, I know what you said, but I thought maybe we could talk over a beer. Believe it or not, I think we have a lot in common and I'd like to get to know you a little better"

"Holy crap", Frankie thought to herself, "I'm sounding more and more like Will every day. When did _that_ happen?!"

"What part of I don't want to talk are you not understanding?" Erin said, obviously irritated.

"Look, I'll make you a deal. You sit and listen while I talk and we enjoy these frosty beverages and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the week." Frankie said.

"Throw in there that you'll keep that sentimental brother of mine out of here and you've got a deal." Erin responded.

Frankie laughed to herself at how annoyed Will made Erin. It was almost like having a conversation with her old self, which was weird and funny all at the same time. "Deal!" she said to Erin.

Erin and Frankie sat on opposite ends of the couch. Frankie handed Erin one of the bottles and Erin took a drink.

"Ugghh! This is _root_ beer!", Erin said, choking down the sip she took from the bottle.

"I know, sorry, I can't have beer, you know, because I'm pregnant and all." Frankie apologized.

"Well, I'm not!" Erin protested, as she grabbed a real beer from a mini fridge nearby.

"Ok, so say what you need to say so we can get this over with already. But before you start let me just tell you something. It doesn't matter what you say, ok. It's not you personally, it's just I don't care, I'm not going to care, and you can't make me care about you or any of the rest of them ok? It's just who I am now." Erin informed Frankie.

Again, Frankie was taken aback at how much alike she and Erin were. She used this knowledge to her advantage, knowing exactly what buttons would set Erin off and paying close attention to avoid said buttons.

"I understand. For the record, I'm not trying to change you. I'd just like to tell you my story. I don't expect or want you to respond. All I'm asking is that you listen. When I'm done, I'll keep my end of the deal and leave. I promise." Frankie explained.

Erin nodded her head in agreement and said, "Ok, proceed."

Frankie started her story back with her childhood. She talked about her parents, the love they shared, how much fun they had, and then how they'd been killed in a terrorist attack on their way to see Frankie. She then talked about Kelly and how Kelly took her in but taught her at the time to bottle her feelings, which led her down the career path of assassin for hire, various questionable side jobs, and then to the CIA. Frankie didn't leave out any of the messy details. Erin had been in combat and she knew Erin could handle any story she told, no matter how gory the details. Then Frankie got to the part about the night she met Will. She even told Erin she had requested permission to kill him, but there was something about him that was different. She just couldn't go through with it and, after she got shot, was even more grateful she hadn't taken him out. Next, Frankie told Erin about the last two years. How slowly she learned to let people in and start to care about them. She told her about making amends with Kelly and, even with what Kelly had gone through, she too had learned to let love back in her life. Finally, she talked about when she and Will finally acknowledged they had feelings for each other. She told Erin there are still things and certain feelings that scare the hell out of her but letting Will love her was the best decision she'd ever made. Frankie finished by telling Erin she saw herself in Erin the night they arrived. She told Erin there was a familiarity about the pain Erin was going through and, when and if she was ready to talk, Frankie would be more than happy to listen. She also thanked Erin for the warm welcome that night and explained how it helped her relax knowing it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows here in the house. Erin actually laughed at Frankie's thank you and said, "you're welcome for that", much to Frankie's surprise.

"Look, I just want to say one final thing.", Frankie said, looking Erin in the eye. "I know that there's something you haven't told anyone. Something deeper than just getting injured in combat. I know this because it's a pain that I've lived with since my parents died. I know it doesn't feel like it now because I fought it myself for way too long, but talking about it and letting go of that pain will be the most freeing feeling you will ever feel. It's scary as hell to take that first step and talk about it, but, believe me, it's well worth it. So, again, when and/or if you're ready to take that step, I'll be here, if you'd like me to, to help you in any way that I can."

"Is that all?" Erin asked.

Frankie could see that she'd touched a nerve with Erin and Erin was doing everything in her power to hold back her tears and keep that tough woman appearance up. Frankie knew that look too. That "you can't let them see you cry because it shows weakness" look. Frankie had mastered that look over the years. However, she also knew that somewhere, deep down inside, she may have gotten through to Erin, which is all she had hoped for.

"Yep. That's it. Now, I'll keep my word and leave. Plus I'll make sure the dork doesn't bother you either ok?" Frankie said jokingly.

"The dork?" Erin asked.

"Oh, that's my pet name for Will. Annoying dork. It's kinda catchy, don't you think?" , she asked Erin.

"Much better than boo or honey." Erin replied and cracked a half smile as she said, "Plus, it fits him."

"I think so too!" Frankie agreed, as she headed up the stairs. "It was nice talking with you Erin."

Erin nodded as Frankie disappeared back up to the main floor.

Frankie had been gone for almost the whole hour when she came back upstairs.

"How did it go?" asked Laurie.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. But I'm hopeful. Time will tell." Frankie replied.

"Thank you for trying.", Laurie said while reaching out to hug Frankie. "You didn't have to do that but I appreciate it more than you know. There's nothing that hurts a parent more than to see their child in pain and not knowing what you can do to help them. I pray you and Will don't ever have to experience that." Laurie said, while rubbing Frankie's belly.

"Me either, mom. Me either." Frankie smiled and said to Laurie, cradling her baby bump with one hand while hugging Laurie with the other.


	5. Chapter 5

Later that evening, Will and Frankie settled in for the night in their room. Will decided to read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to the babies that night. Once he finished, he asked Frankie how her day went.

"It went ok. I had a wonderful time with your mom. She's so great. Oh, and I talked to your sister today.", Frankie said as she glanced at Will.

"Hold on. You had an actual conversation with her?" Will asked.

"Well, more like I talked and she listened but it went ok, I guess. I just felt like I should try to talk to her because she reminds me of the old me so much." Frankie explained.

"Oh, ok. I think it's great you took the time to talk to her. Tomorrow I should have some time to go try and talk to her myself.", Will said

"Yeah, about that...I kinda made a deal with her." Frankie said slowly.

"What kind of deal?", Will asked

"Basically, in exchange for her listening to me I had to guarantee you wouldn't try to talk to her. So, if you do try to talk to her and break my promise to her, I'll have to break something on you. And trust me, it will be something you use frequently." Frankie warned.

"Something I use frequently?" Will said in a provocative manner.

"Not that you dork! I said something _you_ use, not something we both need." Frankie said laughing. "Can you just trust me and leave her alone. If my gut feeling is right, I think she'll come around soon enough."

"Of course I trust you." Will replied. "I promise I'll stay away. Now, about that thing we _both _use..." Will laughed as he kissed Frankie and pulled the covers over both of them.

The next morning, Will and Frankie walked to the kitchen together. Richard and Laurie had a couple of appointments and left a note directing them to breakfast she had made for them before they left.

"Your mom is my hero. I don't know how she does it all" Frankie said to Will

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we make dinner for them tonight?" Will suggested.

"That's a great idea, but it will probably be more of me assisting you since I'm not much of a cook...yet." Frankie said.

"Yet?" Will asked.

"Yes. I talked to your mom yesterday and she said she'd help me learn to cook. When the babies get here they won't be breastfeeding forever. Plus, with me at home and you at work until my leave is up, I'm sure you'll want something to eat when you get home." Frankie explained.

"Wait...did you just say breastfeed? So you read those articles I set aside for you after all? I'm so proud of you Frankie!" Will said so excited.

He had recommended a lot of the things he read to Frankie but didn't really think she was paying attention.

"Of course I read the articles and all about how breastfeeding is what's best for them. Plus, I read it will help with bonding with the babies. Will, I want our kids to know and _feel_ how much I love them, just as my parents did with me. Anything I can do to help with that, I'll do. Oh, and thank you for doing all the reading. It means more to me than you know." Frankie said as she reached over to kiss Will.

"What about the baby names?" Will asked. He thought since they were on a roll he'd better ask all he could before Frankie changed the subject.

"I read them and I have some ideas but I want to wait until we find out what we're having before we talk more about that, ok? Plus, the baby shower's just a few weeks away so we won't have to wait much longer." Frankie said as she cradled her baby bump.

"Fair enough." Will said. "But I gotta tell you I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas...it seems like it's taking forever to get here."

Frankie took Will's hand and laid it on her belly as she spoke to the babies. "Can you guys please tell your dad to chill out and that you guys will be here before we know it?"

On cue, Will felt the babies kick. "Wow. That never gets old. I love you too little ones." Will said as he kissed Frankie's belly.

"Ok, let's get a menu together for tonight." Frankie said.

Will and Frankie finished breakfast as they planned out the meal for later that night.

After breakfast they spent time cleaning up together and Frankie couldn't help but let her mind wander a little bit. "Is this what it would be like to be married and always be together instead of jumping back and forth from one apartment to the next?" she thought to herself, smiling.

"What are you smiling about?" Will asked Frankie.

"I was just thinking that if this is what married life is like, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all." Frankie replied.

"Hey, if you're up for it, I've got some old friends at the courthouse. We could run up there and get married real quick, if you'd like." Will said enthusiastically.

"Slow down big guy. I said I was _thinking _about it." Frankie said, still smiling.

"I'll never stop trying." Will said

"I hope not." Frankie said as she kissed him.

Will and Frankie headed out to the grocery store to get the supplies they needed for dinner. Before they went to the store, Will had a surprise for Frankie.

"Where are we going? This doesn't look like the grocery store." Frankie said to Will.

"We're taking a little detour. I want to show you something. Just trust me." Will said.

"The last time you said that to me I got pregnant." Frankie said with a smile.

"Well, look on the bright side, at least you know you can't get _more_ pregnant." Will said laughing.

They pulled into a park. Frankie got out and looked around at how beautiful it was, with all of the trees and flowers and the best part - it wasn't crowded.

"C'mon." Will said as he took Frankie's hand. "Our spot is just over here."

"Our spot?" Frankie asked.

"Let me explain." Will said as they arrived at the spot and he laid a blanket out on the ground. He had packed a picnic lunch and laid it out for both of them to enjoy while they talked.

"When I was younger, I used to always come here. Of all the places in this park, this spot is where I always imagined I'd bring my wife and kids. I would envision my family enjoying a picnic and then my wife and I watching the kids play as we lounged on the blanket. So, this is _our_ spot. Every time we visit mom and dad I want to be able to bring the kids here and spend time together as we watch them play, like a family tradition." Will explained.

"Could you possibly get any sexier?" Frankie said as she leaned over and kissed Will long and lovingly.

"This is perfect and I love it and I love you!" Frankie said, as they broke from their kiss.

They enjoyed their picnic lunch and Frankie smiled as she imagined watching the kids play from their spot in the future. Once they were finished, Will and Frankie headed to the store, got the supplies they needed for dinner, and headed back to Will's parents' house.

Will and Frankie were in the middle of preparing things for dinner when Richard and Laurie got back home.

"What's all this?" Laurie asked

"Well, you've both been such gracious hosts to us so we decided to cook dinner for you guys for a change." Frankie explained.

"Gracious hosts? Honey, we're family. When you all are here that's my job - to spoil both of you and those grandbabies!" Laurie said with a smile.

"Well, have a seat and relax. We'll be done in a little while and we can visit while it's in the oven." Will said to his parents.

Will's dad left to go through the mail but Laurie stayed behind, sitting at the kitchen table watching Will and Frankie. She noticed how they looked at each other and would steal a kiss or two as they worked together on dinner.

"Winkie!" Laurie said laughing.

"Excuse me?" Will asked his mom, confused at her statement.

"Don't you ever watch television, son? When a couple is in love, you put their names together to make a couple name. You guys are Winkie." Laurie explained.

"Ohhhkaayyy. That's kinda weird coming from my mom but ok." Will said, not wanting to disappoint his mother.

"I think it's cute." said Frankie.

"Look, let me have my moment. You both look so cute together and you don't know how much I enjoy seeing you so happy. Especially after that little blonde girl broke your heart the way she did. She's lucky I live so far away." Laurie said, shocking both Will and Frankie.

"Omg! I LOVE this woman!" Frankie whispered to Will

"Mom, that was a long time ago and, as you can see, I've moved on. Besides, if it hadn't been for that, I never would have found Frankie." Will said to Laurie.

"I know but you'll understand once those babies get here. You will want to protect them at any cost and when anyone hurts them, no matter how old they get, you _always_ take it personal as a parent." Laurie explained.

Frankie and Will laughed as they all headed into the living room and waited for dinner to be ready.

An hour later, the timer went off to signal dinner was ready. Frankie and Will put all the food on the table as everyone sat down to eat.

Just then, the door to the basement opened. Erin came out and, instead of heading to the fridge she came into the dining room. She had taken a shower and had on fresh clothes.

Trying to make sure no one said anything to make a big deal and spook Erin, Frankie spoke up. "Hey Erin. Would you like to join us for dinner?"

Erin nodded yes, not saying a word.

"There's an extra seat over here, next to me." Frankie offered.

Erin sat down and joined the family for dinner. She didn't speak a word as the rest of them talked. Anytime someone acted as if they were going to ask Erin a question, Frankie interjected to avoid Erin having to say anything. Eventually, everyone caught on and stopped trying to ask Erin questions.

When everyone was finished with dessert, Erin got up from the table. She looked at Frankie and simply said "Thank you."

Frankie nodded and replied "Have a good night." as Erin headed back into the basement.

When the door to the basement closed, Frankie noticed every Chase at the table was crying. "Ok, so I see where Will gets his emotional side from.", she thought to herself.

"Hey guys," Frankie said to everyone at the table. "Trust me when I say it's best if you don't make a big deal out of this to Erin."

Laurie made her way around the table to hug Frankie.

"I understand what you're saying but thank you. I don't know what you said to her but something obviously got through to her. That's the first time she's eaten with us since she came home. Thank you sweetie. Thank you so much!" Laurie said to Frankie.

"It's ok mom." Frankie said while hugging Laurie. "It will take time but she'll get better. We just have to be patient."

Frankie loved that she could call Laurie "mom". Laurie made her feel inside the way her own mom used to and it was something Frankie didn't take for granted.

"We'll clean all of this up. You two have had a long day, why don't you go ahead and turn in for the night." Richard said to Will and Frankie.

"Are you sure dad?" Will asked.

"I'm sure. Oh, and Frankie, thank you. Tonight meant more to Laurie and I than you know.", Richard said as he hugged Frankie.

As they were getting ready for bed, Will came up behind Frankie, wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed her baby bump as he hugged her and kissed the side of her neck.

"What's that for?" Frankie asked.

"You keep telling me how great I am and how much you love me every time I surprise you with something like the picnic today. But Frankie, you don't see how amazing you are. What you did with Erin, the way you talk and have bonded with my mom. I'm so proud of you and how far you've come. I know how hard it's been for you to open up and let love in your heart again but you don't let that stop you. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am to have you by my side. Oh, and you're super sexy too!" Will said as he turned Frankie around and kissed her.

"You're not so bad yourself, dork." Frankie said as she smiled and kissed Will back.

Once in bed, they settled down into their nightly routine. Tonight Will chose "Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?" as the bedtime story for the babies.

Once he finished the story, Frankie said smiling, "You know, I fully expect them to be able to read when they're born."

"I know you're joking about that but I totally think it's possible. What do you guys think?" Will said, speaking to Frankie's belly.

"Did you feel that?" Will exclaimed. "That's a definite yes!"

Will and Frankie both laughed.

"Hey Will. Tomorrow we need to check in with the rest of the team. I need to talk to Susan about the plans for the baby shower. Your mom has some really good ideas and wants to help out." Frankie said.

"Ok, good idea. I need to check in with Ray too. Just some follow-up stuff on that last mission we finished." Will said, trying to cover his tracks.

He didn't want to alarm Frankie, especially this far into her pregnancy, but Jai and Standish got a couple of hits on the possible whereabouts of Ollerman. He was back in the states and planning something. Will knew he and the team had to stay one step ahead of him in order to finally stop him and keep their family safe.


	6. Chapter 6

Frankie was lying in the bed, just barely waking up when she heard Will on the phone.

"Ok, guys. Thanks. Listen, I really need you to stay on top of this, ok? We'll be back home in a few days so Jai, finish your masterpieces and we'll start putting the plan together when we get back. Ok, see you all soon. Bye.", Will said as he hung up the phone.

Not realizing Frankie was already awake, he was startled when she rolled over and asked, "What plan?"

Will, still not wanting to ruin their vacation, said unconvincingly and making no eye contact, "Oh, it's nothing, just a few things that developed from that last mission. Nothing to worry about."

"Will!", Frankie said with a serious voice. "We have been together long enough that I know you better than you know yourself. I _know _when something's no big deal and when it is and this _definitely_ IS a big deal, based on what I just heard. So, stop stalling and just tell me. You know I will find out anyway."

Will took in a deep breath and sighed. "Ok, but I need you to stay calm. For you and the babies. Jai and Standish got a couple of hits on Ollerman's possible whereabouts. It's still just preliminary information but it looks like he's back in the states and planning something. My first priority is to protect you, the babies, and then the team. We're just trying to stay one step ahead of him based on the intel we have. I didn't want to tell you because the doctor said to keep your stress level at a minimum. It wasn't because I didn't trust you."

Frankie, feeling her blood pressure rise, took a deep breath. "I know you trust me Will but it's less stressful to me if you're just honest with me, so from now on, keep me in the loop with what's going on, ok? And as far as Ollerman goes, I will kill that SOB with my bare hands if he tries to get anywhere near our kids, you, or the team!"

Will, trying to lighten the mood, looked at Frankie and said, "I know you're serious when you say that but damn that was really sexy. I love how these hormones have taken your assassin tendencies to the next level." Will laughed as he kissed her.

Frankie and Will headed to the kitchen as the aroma of breakfast filled the house.

"I'm so going to miss your mom's cooking. I think I've gained at least ten pounds since we've been here.", Frankie said, smiling at Will

"I know. Now you know why I was heavy as a kid." Will replied.

"Totally understandable", Frankie quipped.

As they entered the kitchen, Richard was sitting at the table catching up on the news while Laurie was enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Good morning !" Laurie said, as she jumped to her feet to get them some breakfast.

"Good morning, mom" Will and Frankie said in unison, then laughing at fact they did just that.

"Don't get up, we can manage.", Frankie said.

They fixed their plates and sat at the table, making small talk and discussing what they had planned for the day.

As they were talking, the basement door opened and Erin appeared, heading for the fridge.

"Good morning, Erin.", Frankie said, feeling as though she may be the only one who could speak to Erin without causing her to retreat back to the basement like a scared deer.

"There's plenty left, if you'd like some breakfast honey", Laurie said softly.

Erin, staring at the inside of the fridge for what seemed like forever, turned and said, "No, thank you.", as she grabbed a few things and started to walk back towards the basement.

Before she got to the door, Erin stopped, turned around, and looked directly at Frankie as she said, "Hey, if you have a second, I'd like to ask you something."

Frankie, caught off guard at Erin's request, replied, "Sure, I'll be down in a minute."

Erin, without saying another word, turned back around and headed downstairs, closing the door behind her.

Laurie reached over and grabbed Frankie's hand, tears streaming down her face.

Frankie knew by Laurie's touch what she was saying. She put her hand on top of Laurie's and smiled as she reached over to give her a hug.

Richard looked over at Laurie and smiled, nodding his head in approval.

Frankie looked at Will and said, "I'll be back in a little bit. I better go while she's willing to talk.", then kissed him as she walked towards the door to the basement.

"Take your time. I love you!", Will said, after the kiss and as Frankie walked away.

"I love you too dork!", Frankie replied, trying to keep the mood from getting too emotional.

Down in the basement, Erin was sitting on the couch as Frankie made her way down the stairs.

"Can I sit here?", Frankie asked, pointing to the opposite end of the couch.

"Sure. Listen, I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other day and I think you're right about something." Erin said to Frankie.

"What's that?" Frankie asked.

"The other day, when you said it would help to talk about what's causing the pain. I think you're right about that. I obviously haven't shared this with anyone, even the shrinks at the VA, but, if you don't mind, I'd like to tell you, but ONLY you! You have to promise me you won't tell anyone, even that dork brother of mine." Erin said.

"I promise. You can trust me, Erin." Frankie replied.

"My brother is the most trusting person on the planet, sometimes to a fault. If he's trusted you to be his partner this long, that says a lot to me. Plus, the fact that my sentimental brother hasn't even tried to so much as look at me since we last talked, I can only assume you threatened him, which makes me trust you even more." Erin said firmly.

"Oh, I threatened him allright. You have no idea." Frankie said laughing, causing Erin to smile.

Erin, before going into her story, said to Frankie, "They (pointing upstairs) are some of the most emotional people you will ever meet. I can't handle talking about what happened to me and having them fall all over me, tears flooding the room, it just makes me want to literally jump out of my skin. But the way you talked about yourself and what you went through, that was exactly how I feel, so I thought you'd get it and understand why I'm such a recluse."

"I understand." Frankie said, "Tell me what happened."

Erin took a deep breath. Frankie could tell this was the first time she'd ever told anyone the truth about what had happened to her and didn't want to do anything to scare Erin into not getting everything off her chest, so she just sat and listened, not saying a word.

Erin began, "I was deployed to Afghanistan for the fourth time a few years ago. I had been with my squad for a while and we were all pretty tight. I was actually the only female in my squad and I spent every minute I could showing the rest of the squad I could hold my own and would always have their back. Like you mentioned in your story, I tried not to do emotional attachments. Don't get me wrong, they were my brothers and I always had their six, but I knew that getting involved with any of them more than on a "brother" level could compromise any mission and get us all killed. Most of the guys were married except for Jacob and myself. Jacob was our Sergeant. He was impressed at my skill level, admitting to me that he was very hesitant at having a female in his squad when we first met. That changed when I put a bullet in an insurgent about to shoot Jacob in the back. From that moment on, we became friends. Nothing romantic, just like two buddies hanging out, trying to make the best of a crappy environment. That is, until, this last deployment. We had been deployed for about four months and during a mission, we got separated from our unit. We had to hideout overnight until our extraction unit came for us the next morning. I'm not sure what happened. Maybe it was the thought of coming so close to dying, being in such close quarters together, I don't know, but one thing led to another and Jacob and I crossed that line and became romantically involved. At first, it was just sex. Something we both needed to relieve the stress and tension of our environment. But, after sneaking around for a couple of months, we both realized we had feelings for each other. Feelings that had been developing for a while but we'd ignored. A week before our last mission, I was so sick I thought I was going to die. I couldn't stop vomiting and felt awful. Not wanting to show weakness by going to the infirmary, I tracked my symptoms in a journal I kept. That's when I realized I could be pregnant. I was able to smuggle a test in from a trip to town and it confirmed what I suspected. I was scared and didn't know what to do. I didn't want to get Jacob in trouble if the truth came out, so I kept it to myself. I finally decided a few days later that I needed to tell him so we could work on a plan and story together to preserve his job. I was going to tell him as soon as we got back from the mission, as I didn't want him distracted on the mission because that could be deadly. Little did I know, it would be deadly anyway. Everything was going smoothly. Looking back, it was probably a little too smooth. We were escorting electronics that contained information about millions in offshore accounts the insurgents had been building. Our job was to provide cover for the armored vehicle back to base. About two miles out, our vehicle was hit by an RPG. Jacob was driving and I was in the passenger seat. After the explosion, I was dazed and could only hear ringing in my ears. There was blood everywhere and I couldn't tell who it belonged to. I looked over at Jacob, crouched over the steering wheel. I just thought he was unconscious. I leaned him back, calling his name, asking if he was ok, but got no response. When I leaned him back, I could see his injuries. There was nothing anyone could do. He was gone. Two of our guys in the back were also dead. Realizing Jacob was gone, I leaned over and threw up. After vomiting and still in shock, I looked down and saw I was bleeding, bad, from a lower abdominal injury. Another guy from our squad, seeing I was struggling to get out, pulled me to safety as we came under fire. Luckily, it didn't take long for backup to arrive and the last thing I remember was being put on a stretcher and someone saying, "hang in there, you're gonna be ok".

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. It took me a minute to remember what had happened and, I immediately thought about the baby. I called for the nurse, who was surprised to see me awake. "Please get the doctor", I pleaded with her. The doctor came in and I asked what had been done to me. He told me I'd lost a lot of blood and had a severe injury near my pelvis. He asked if I knew I was pregnant and I told him that I did and asked about the baby. "I'm sorry he said. We did all we could but, due to the extent of your injuries, we couldn't save the baby. Also, I hate to have to tell you this but your female organs also suffered a lot of damage. We tried to repair as much as possible, but you should know you may never be able to have kids in the future." I asked him to please keep the pregnancy and my injuries private, which he assured me he could due to the privacy rules. The nurse said my family wanted to know where I'd be transferred so they could come see me. I asked her to tell them I didn't want any visitors, to please stay home, that I would be fine and be home after I healed. I requested no one know where I was being transferred. I had lost everything in a split second. The man I loved, my child, and I never even got the chance to tell him about the baby. From that point on, I didn't want to feel anything. I was mad that I was alive, and alone. I shut myself off from everyone and everything. It was just easier to do that then to deal with and face the pain all over again. I damn sure couldn't tell my family. They are so emotional I knew I'd be reliving it all over again and again and again and I made up my mind I wasn't putting myself through that again. Plus, there was Jacob. No one knew about the baby and I didn't want to tarnish his reputation, especially now that the baby was gone too. So, I stayed in Germany until I was healed enough to return to the states. I spent more time in therapy in the states until I was given an honorable discharge due to my injuries. When I was discharged, I had no idea what I was going to do. The military was my life and I didn't know how to live without it. The people at the VA made the call to mom and dad. They came and picked me up, as I knew they would. Once we got here, I retreated to the basement. I go to the VA for "therapy" but there's not a chance in hell I'd ever tell them what really happened. I sit, tell them what they want to hear, and come home. I was content to live the rest of my life this way, until it was my day to see Jacob and our baby again. And then you showed up and screwed up my plans. I've never met anyone that I thought could truly understand my pain and how deep it went until the other day when you told me your story. I suppose I should thank you but, to be honest, I'm still not sure how I feel about all this. Also, seeing you and Will so happy and expecting not one, but two babies, rubbed a little bit of salt in my open wounds. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy he found you and you guys are going to be parents, but I still ask why I had to lose it all. Why couldn't I have my happy ending? So, now you know. Now you know why I stay so closed off and why I can't tell them (pointing upstairs again) about what really happened."

Erin looked over at Frankie, who was wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm..I'm sorry Frankie said. "I'm sorry for crying too..damn hormones!"

Erin smiled, "It's ok. I actually feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. I'll be damned. You were right about that!", Erin chuckled.

Frankie laughed and said to Erin, "You would be amazed how far I've come since I first met Will two years ago. I was just like you. I wanted no part of any emotional attachments, even after we became a team. But, I learned from my foster mom and Will that shutting ourselves off doesn't guarantee we won't have pain in our lives. Letting people in that love and care about us just helps us get through the pain and, based on the last two years, I can tell you it's totally worth it. It takes time, but if I can get there, so can you."

"Thanks. I'll try." Erin said.

"Erin, can I give you a small piece of advice without you getting mad at me?" Frankie asked.

"Just a small piece.", Erin replied.

"Will and I will be leaving soon. To truly start to heal, you need to tell them...all of them.", Frankie said, pointing upstairs. "I'm not trying to rush you but, while I'm here, it may be easier to just tell them all at once. I'll be right there with you and can interject if things get too, you know, emotional. Just think about it and let me know what you decide." Frankie said as she got up from the couch.

"Whoa, ouch," Frankie said while grabbing her baby bump. Not wanting to make Erin uncomfortable, she tried to hide how much the kicks she was feeling from the babies hurt and turned her back so Erin couldn't see what she was doing.

"Frankie, it's ok. You don't have to hide it. I truly am happy for you guys. Are you ok though?," Erin asked.

Frankie slowly turned around and looked at Erin. "Thank you, Erin. To be honest, I think they actually kicked because you stopped talking. Will talks to them all the time and they love it. When he stops, they start kicking. I think it's their way of saying they like the sound of your voice." , Frankie explained.

"Can I..?" Erin asked, as she reached her hand out towards Frankie's belly.

"Absolutely!" Frankie said as she smiled at Erin.

"Wow! They really are kicking up a storm. Hey you two, give your mom a break, ok? Tell you what, if you quit kicking your mom so hard, I'll talk to you again before you guys leave, deal?" Erin said, talking to the babies.

Erin and Frankie both smiled as they felt the babies calm down. "Thanks, Frankie. That was amazing!. Erin said.

Frankie noticed Erin starting to tear up and decided to head back upstairs so Erin could have some time to herself. What transpired was emotionally draining and she knew Erin would need time to process it.

"Let me know what you decide about talking to everyone. I'm here for you.", Frankie reiterated as she headed upstairs.

"Thanks again, Frankie" Erin said.

Frankie nodded as she headed through the basement door.

Will, Laurie, and Richard were in the living room when they heard the basement door close.

Frankie made her way through the kitchen and saw them all in the living room, staring at her, eyes as big as saucers.

"Well?", Will said impatiently. "How did it go? What did she say?"

Frankie, sitting across from them all and trying to downplay their enthusiasm, said, "Look, like I said the other night, the biggest thing you guys can do to help Erin is to NOT make a big deal out of this. She will talk when she's ready, but, when she does, you have to give her space. Don't suffocate her with a lot of emotion and, as hard as it may be, don't get over emotional. You all should probably practice this _before_ she decides to talk to you. _If_ she decides to talk. You can't rush her. The ball has to totally be in her court, but just know she's working through it."

"Thank you, honey!" Laurie said, as she headed over to hug Frankie.

Frankie, not wanting to hurt Laurie's feelings, said gently, "Mom, I'm going to hug you but if Erin decides to open up, you gotta watch jumping up and hugging so much, ok? I love that about you and eventually she may too but right now that will make her run in the opposite direction.", Frankie finished as she hugged Laurie.

"Got it!" Laurie said smiling.

"I'm kind of emotionally spent and need to lay down for a bit, if you guys don't mind." Frankie said to everyone.

"Sure. I'll walk you to the room." Will said, helping Frankie to her feet.

Once in the room, Frankie kissed Will before laying down on the bed.

"Will, how come you never told me about Erin?" Frankie asked.

"I don't know. I guess it's because she got injured not long before you and I met and she was so adamant about not wanting anyone around while she was healing, plus you really weren't interested in getting to know me, then.." Will continued until Frankie cut him off.

"Ok, ok, I guess I walked into that one." Frankie said sarcastically.

"Hey, I know it's taking every fiber in your body not to go talk to Erin but just give it time. And, one more thing...thanks for never giving up on me and for giving me your virus.", Frankie said while laughing.

"Thank you for today. It means a lot to us. I'd never give up on you. Plus, once you were infected with the charm virus, I knew you'd come around. There's no cure. You can't fight it." Will said smiling.

"You're lucky I love you." Frankie said, snuggling into bed. "Otherwise, I'd shoot you in the leg again."

Frankie and Will both laughed.

"Get some rest, I love you," Will said as he covered Frankie and kissed her gently.

"I love you too, boo." Frankie smiled as she closed her eyes and settled in for her nap.


	7. Chapter 7

Back at the Dead Drop, things were pretty busy. The team was working together to keep tabs on Ollerman while planning Frankie and Will's baby shower at the same time. The shower was only a few weeks away and would be held at Kelly's house. She had a large back yard, which gave Jai plenty of room for his exploding masterpieces for the gender reveal.

Ray and Susan were working in the back while Standish was sitting at the main bar. Just then, Jai walks in and looks at the mess surrounding Standish.

"Look at this mess!", Jai says to Standish. "How many times do we have to talk about this? Will and Frankie will be back in a couple of days and you really want them to walk into this!?"

Standish, not phased, replied, "Look, mom and dad know I keep my room messy and they're cool with it. But, to make you happy, I'll pick up as soon as I finish what I'm working on, ok?"

"What are you working on?", Jai asked

"Oh", Standish says half laughing, "I'm setting up a coin college fund for each of the babies in some offshore accounts. I wish I had an uncle as cool as me when I was a kid!", he said proudly.

"You're not that cool." Jai said seriously.

"Besides," Jai continued, "_I_ am totally the coolest uncle they will have. See this? They're my latest microtrackers. Totally safe and undetectable. This way, if they're ever in trouble, they can call Uncle Jai to get them out of a bind, totally avoiding the wrath of Mama Frankie."

"You know she's gonna shoot you when she finds out, right? And she _will_ find out.", Standish said.

"I'll take my chances." Jai said smiling.

"Hey, as soon as you're finished, meet me in the lair. I need your help to finish the gender reveal explosives." Jai said to Standish, walking towards the bathroom.

Ray and Susan were in the back, going through the details of the baby shower. Ray and Susan had gotten married a year ago, deciding not to waste another moment once Ray recovered from Ollerman's attack. Even though they no longer had to sneak around, Ray and Susan still felt like they were in the Honeymoon phase of their relationship and still liked to sneak off together when they thought the rest of the team wouldn't notice. While they didn't have any kids yet, planning Frankie and Will's baby shower brought the topic front and center.

"Hey Susan," Ray asked, "I know we talked a little about this before but do you still want kids?"

"Sure.", Susan said, "I haven't given up on the idea. What about you Ray? Do you want kids?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I kinda _am_ one so I think it would be totally cool to have like a little me to play with, ya know?" Ray said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Plus, I think we'd have really cute kids." Ray said, leaning over to kiss Susan.

"Aww, that's sweet." Susan said, leaning back from the kiss.

"I'm so happy for Will and Frankie", she said. "I think they are going to make great parents. And God help the person that makes one of Frankie's kids cry.", Susan said, shaking her head.

"I know what you mean. I mean she tried to kill me over Will, I'm not sure what's worse than death but if someone hurts her kids, I'm pretty sure she would do _that_ to them." Ray said, sure of himself.

"Ok." Susan started, "So we have all the decorations and catering in place. Kelly's confirming with the planner and caterer. Hotel accommodations have been made for everyone. I spoke to Frankie and Will's parents are definitely coming. She asked me to book a room for his sister too. Frankie seems sure she will come but I'm not convinced. Now, Ray, for the most important part."

"What's that?" Ray asked.

"Frankie has some surprises for Will and doesn't want him to see anything ahead of time. Soooo you and the boys are going to take Will and his dad out the night before the shower for a "daddy to be" night.", Susan explained.

"You mean a _Bro out on the town_ night?", Ray asked smiling.

"Whatever. Just make sure you guys stay away from Kelly's that night and the next day until time for the shower, ok?, Susan said sternly.

"Roger, that!" Ray said. "This is gonna be sooo much fun! It will be just like the old days!", Ray continued excitedly.

"Just make sure the 'old days' are PG-rated now, unless you want to die a slow and painful death.", Susan said, not joking at all.

"Got it!" Ray said, cowering down at the thought of what Susan and Frankie would do if he disobeyed.

Standish met Jai in the lair and immediately started to pick up items on the table.

"NOOO! DON'T TOUCH THOSE!", Jai yelled at Standish.

"Are you trying to get us both killed? Those all explode.", Jai said, making a circular motion above all the items on the table.

"How am I supposed to know what explodes and what doesn't?" Standish asked innocently.

"Standish, did we just meet? How many things have you seen me make on _this_ table that are not capable of exploding?", Jai said sarcastically.

"Fair point.", Standish conceded.

"Ok, so here are the targets. There's one for each baby. I've designed them so Will and Frankie will have to hit them dead center twice each in order for them to explode, revealing the gender color. Since we will be at Kelly's house, I made these air pistols to look like Frankie's "Old Faithful" pistol that she loves so much. This way, she feels like she's getting to shoot something and it won't harm the babies.", Jai said proudly.

"Cool! Can we test them out?" Standish asked, still enjoying being allowed to actually hold a gun in Jai's presence since he accidentally shot Jai.

"Yes. That's why I needed your help. Since Will and Frankie will be shooting at the same time, I need you to shoot one target while I shoot the other to make sure the targets are working properly.", Jai explained

"If you aim anywhere but the target and _anything_ so much as comes near me, I will kill you dead!", Jai said emphatically.

"C'mon. I _accidentally_ shoot you one time and you're still holding that against me? What about when I saved your life during baby Will's rescue?" Standish pleaded to Jai

"Focus, please.", Jai replied, without looking up.

They both lined up the sights on their pistols to the center of each target.

"3, 2, 1, shoot!." Jai exclaimed.

Standish hit his target a couple seconds later than Jai but both targets exploded with the color of each baby's gender.

"OMG! I didn't know what they were having until now. Frankie and Will are gonna be sooo excited. And the targets...those were awesome. You know Frankie's gonna love getting to shoot something after all this time and she's not gonna care what it is. Good call on the air pistols, though. Giving Frankie and her hormones a real gun with a silencer at this stage of her pregnancy is just asking for her to shoot somebody." Standish said, nodding at Jai.

"Exactly!" Jai agreed.

Jai looked at Standish and said proudly, "Another successful Datta masterpiece!"

Jai and Standish met Ray and Susan back in the main bar area.

"Ok, so everything's set for the shower and Frankie's surprise. How about your gender reveal special effects? Are they finished?" Susan asked Jai.

"You mean my masterpieces? Yes, Standish and I just tested them and they work perfect, as all of my creations usually do." Jai said smiling.

"Hey, do you guys want to know what Frankie and Will are having?" Standish asked like a kid who couldn't hold a secret.

"No!" Susan said, as Ray said "Yes!" at the exact same time.

"I mean No.", Ray said, looking at Susan who had given him that "I'll kill you look".

Susan reiterated, "No, we don't want to know and you better not say a word! Frankie and Will want it to be a surprise for them and the guests. I know how you guys are (pointing to Ray and Standish). If you even accidentally let it slip to Will or anyone else, I'll just let Frankie deal with you, _both_ of you!"

"Copy that!" Ray said, not giving eye contact.

"You could have just stopped at the name Frankie. Trust me, my lips are sealed!" Standish said nervously.

"Good. Now, what's the latest on Ollerman's whereabouts?" Susan asked.

Jai replied, "As far as we can tell, he is definitely in the states. The Bureau has facial recognition monitoring at all airports. We still aren't sure what exactly The Trust is planning next, but from what we can tell, they need to raise funds, so we're also monitoring any and all larger charity events that potentially could be a cover for The Trust. We're checking on it 24/7. Also, all security is in place at Kelly's house and the surrounding neighborhood."

"Ok, good. We have to stay one step ahead of that SOB. He's too arrogant to not show his face and try to finish what he's started. With what he said to Standish before stabbing him, he's made it personal. So, it's not a matter of _if_ he will come for us but _how_ and _when_." Susan said to the guys.


	8. Chapter 8

The day before Frankie and Will were set to leave to return home, they decided to hang around the house and enjoy their last day with Will's parents. Nearly every day they had taken a trip to one place or another, to show Frankie around town. Today, Frankie asked Laurie if she could help in the kitchen and get in a couple of cooking lessons before they had to leave. Laurie was more than happy to show Frankie around the kitchen. As they worked on prepping things for dinner, the basement door opened and Erin came into the kitchen.

"Frankie, can I talk to you for a second?", Erin asked.

"Sure.", Frankie said, turning to Laurie to say, "I'll be right back, ok?"

"Take your time, dear.", Laurie smiled, as both Erin and Frankie walked down to the basement.

In the basement, Erin and Frankie sat on the couch. Erin spoke first.

"You guys leaving tomorrow?", Erin asked.

"Yes, our flight leaves in the early afternoon." Frankie replied. "Something on your mind?", Frankie asked.

"I keep thinking about what you said. About going ahead and telling them while you're here. I think I'd like to do that tonight after dinner but I don't want to mess up any of your plans. I'm just really nervous. I don't know that I can handle them all going full-Chase family feels on me, you know what I mean?" Erin explained.

"Trust me. You have _no_ idea how much I know what you're saying. Your brother puked sunshine and rainbows all over me for over a year. Now that I think about it, he's REALLY lucky I didn't shoot him!", Frankie chuckled, trying to make Erin feel better.

"Yeah, he's like an emotional carbon copy of my parents. He means well. We used to be close and I do miss that. I hope maybe telling everyone will help us take a step closer to getting back to where we used to be.", Erin said smiling.

"I know he wants that too, Erin. If it's ok with you, I'm going to talk to them this afternoon before dinner to set the ground rules. Remember, if things start to get uncomfortable, I'll be there to run interference. I know you're nervous but I do believe you are doing the right thing and I think you'll feel much better afterwards.", Frankie said, trying to reassure Erin.

Erin, taking a deep breath, replied, "I hope you're right. But this is something I've got to do...need to do. Thanks for being there. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. You know, I never had a sister but if I'd did, I think it would have been cool to have one like you. Will's really lucky. I'd like for you to come visit Will and me in New York when you feel up to it.", Frankie said

"Well, you've got one now.", Erin said as she raised her head to look at Frankie and gave her a smile. "See you at dinner, Frankie."

"Thanks Erin. See you at dinner.", Frankie said as she walked back up the stairs.

When Frankie returned upstairs, she asked Laurie to come into the living room with her so she could talk to her, Will, and Richard. Once gathered in the living room, Frankie explained that Erin would be joining them for dinner and, afterwards, wants to tell them what happened to her in Afghanistan. Frankie explained, from her own experience, how important it would be for them to not make a big deal about anything, but instead to just sit and listen. She also told them that she promised Erin she'd run emotional interference so if she cut them off or changed the subject, she wasn't trying to be rude, but just trying to protect Erin. By the time Frankie finished, all three were emotional and had tears in their eyes.

"Ok,", Frankie said firmly, "Now, each of you cry it all out now, hug whatever and whoever you need to in order to get all of it out of your system. Then, go look in the mirror at your face. Whatever it looks like, make it look the opposite of that once dinner starts and for the rest of the night!", she finished and walked out of the room.

Richard and Laurie looked at Will. This was the first time they had seen a glimpse of true Frankie. For the first time in the visit, Will was nervous, not sure how his parents would process what just happened. Without missing a beat, Laurie turned to Will, looked him in the eye, and said, "Whatever you do son, don't screw this relationship up, I love that girl!", as she got up and returned to her cooking lessons in the kitchen.

Later that evening, everyone gathered for dinner. Erin didn't say a word during dinner and no one even tried to pressure her to speak. After all the dishes had been cleared, Frankie sat down next to Erin on one side of the table while Will and his parents faced them from the other side. Erin proceeded to tell everyone what happened. To Erin's surprise, they followed Frankie's instructions by-the-book and before she knew it, Erin had finished her story. She ended by thanking them for having patience with her and doing as Frankie asked. Erin told them that, at her pace, she would let them know when she was ok with talking more if they had questions down the road. As she got up to leave, Erin walked over and hugged her parents, then Will. Frankie, smiling, followed Erin down to the basement.

"Hey Erin," Frankie said standing at the bottom of the stairs, "I'm really proud of you for what you did tonight. I know how hard that was for you. I wanted to talk to you about something, if you feel you'd be up for it. I have some surprises planned for Will at our baby shower in a few weeks and I'd like for you to come."

Frankie proceed to tell her what she had planned. She wanted Erin to be involved with some of the details, if she felt up to it, but didn't want to push too hard. She gave Erin her number and told her to call when she'd made a decision. Frankie told her she would totally understand if she couldn't come but would love to see her there.

"Thank you, Frankie. Tonight went way better than expected. I don't know what you said to them but I bet their heads are about to explode right now holding all that in. I'll definitely think about coming to the shower. I'll give you a call by next week to let you know." Erin said, smiling at Frankie.

Frankie, laughing at Erin's comment, said, "I know right! I'm going to go check on them, and next week will be fine. Have a good night, Erin."

"You too, Frankie. Thanks again!", Erin replied.

Upstairs, Frankie was shocked at how quiet everyone was. When she sat down on the couch next to Will, he just hugged her. When he finally let go, Frankie could see that everyone was emotionally spent. Frankie reassured them that, in time, it would get better and she was sure the old Erin would be back soon. Richard and Laurie each hugged Frankie and thanked her. They all decided to go ahead and go to bed so they could get up early and have breakfast together before Frankie and Will headed out for the airport.

Once they were in their room, Frankie went to work on packing her bag. Will came up to her, without saying a word, embraced her, and wouldn't let go. She could tell something was weighing heavy on him but didn't have to wonder long, as he spoke softly in her ear while holding her.

"Frankie, I don't know what I would do without you. I can't imagine the pain Erin's going through. As she was talking all I kept thinking about is how I wouldn't want to even go on if Heaven forbid I lost you or the babies.", Will continued as he started to cry, "As soon as we get back, I've GOT to find Ollerman. I'm going to spend every waking minute I have hunting him down. He's the only threat to our family and I'll be damned if I'm going to give him the chance to hurt any of you. Frankie, I couldn't make it without the three of you."

Will then cupped Frankie's face in his hands and kissed her.

Frankie had seen Will emotional before but this was different. This was deeper. For the first time, Frankie realized that Will understood the level of pain she'd felt when her parents died. She saw how it literally scared him to the core to think about losing her or the babies. She already knew that pain and never wanted to experience it again. Seeing Will this way shook her too. Frankie realized, at that moment, what a deep, emotional love she had developed for Will. Sure, she knew she loved him and was _in love_ with him, but, at that moment, she was actually able to feel about Will the way her "dork" had felt about her all along. For the first time, she truly understood why he loved _being_ in love.

At this realization, Frankie looked at Will, and, with one hand on each side of his face, pulled him close and kissed him, long and lovingly.

After the kiss, she looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Will, listen to me. You are not going to lose me or the babies, just like we're not going to lose you. Yes, Ollerman is a threat, but we are a team and we have a family to back us up. We will get him, but together. Promise me you won't go all psycho Will again and try to take him down on your own. Promise US!", Frankie finished, not letting go of Will's face.

Will, taken aback at how adamant Frankie was, replied, "Ok, I promise, Frankie."

Will pulled Frankie's hands into his own as he kneeled down and rested his head on her baby bump. He turned around, looked at her belly, and said to the babies, "I promise you guys, too.", then kissed Frankie's belly.

That night, Frankie and Will cuddled together, neither one of them wanting to let the other go. They knew tomorrow they would be heading back home, and with their return came the mission of protecting their family, once and for all. Tonight, however, they both just wanted to feel the security of being in each other's arms.

The next morning, Frankie and Will were happy to see Erin join everyone for breakfast. She still didn't speak much at the table but having her there made the trip feel complete. Once they finished, Will and his dad loaded the bags into the trunk of the car.

"Well son, it's been great to see you. I look forward to meeting your friends at the shower in a few weeks.", Richard said to Will

"Thanks, dad. We had a great time and can't wait for you guys to come up too.", Will replied while giving his dad a hug.

As Richard made his way to the door, Erin walked out to talk to Will.

"Listen, dork.", Erin said as Will turned his head sideways in confusion.

Erin continued, "Yeah, Frankie told me that's what she calls you. She's great and I know you already know this but I'm going to say it to you anyway. If you do anything to screw this up or hurt her or those kids, I'll kill you myself, with my bare hands. She has my number. All she has to do is make the call. Oh, and I love you little brother!"

"Wow, how much time did you guys actually spend together because you're starting to sound like Frankie. And what exactly did she tell you?" Will inquired.

"Just that she loves your stupid ass for some reason, but don't muck it up!" Erin replied, smiling at Will.

"I won't sis. I love you. Call me if you need anything, ok?" Will said as he hugged Erin.

"I love you too." Erin said, as she punched Will in the ribs, causing him to crouch over and grab his side.

"Bye, old man.", Erin laughed, walking back in the house.

Will, still holding his side, stood up straight and smiled as Erin walked back in the house. That was the Erin he knew and, despite his pain, he was happy to see her again.

Back in the house, Frankie said goodbye to Richard and Erin, then looked for Laurie next.

Just then, Laurie came around the corner from the kitchen.

"Here, I want you to have these.", Laurie said to Frankie, handing her two cookbooks.

"They were my mom's. They have a lot of our old family recipes in them. I have them memorized by now so I think they'd serve a better purpose in your house.", Laurie finished, tearing up.

"Aww, mom. Thank you! I promise I'll put them to good use.", Frankie said, also tearing up as she hugged Laurie.

They all walked outside and Frankie noticed Will holding his side.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, my sister just punched me in the ribs to tell me goodbye.", Will explained.

"Oh, and it hurts because you're old. I get it.", Frankie said sarcastically while getting in the car and winking at Erin.

"No, not because I'm...you know what, never mind. Bye you guys. Love you!", Will said as he sunk into the driver's seat.

Frankie and Will waved goodbye once more as they backed out of the driveway, Will grabbing his side in pain as he lifted his arm to wave.

"Maybe it hurts because they love me more than you now?" Frankie said, shrugging her shoulders while smiling back at Will.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the past few weeks since Will and Frankie returned home, the team's been assigned to three different missions, all possible hideouts of Ollerman. By the time the team arrived at each location, there were no signs of Ollerman or anyone associated with the trust. Frustrated, Will convinces Frankie to watch "You've Got Mail" with him again to try and get his mind off the events of the past few weeks.

"Ok, what's on your mind?", Frankie asks Will as she pauses the movie.

"What do you mean?" Will replies.

"You con me into watching this stupid movie with you again and you're not even paying attention to it. Mentally, you're a million miles away. I don't want to watch this crap. So, either start talking or I'm just going to head to my apartment." Frankie insists.

"It's just...something's not adding up, Frankie. Three missions and the same result each time? Obviously someone on the inside is feeding us bad intel, I'm sure per Ollerman's orders. But why? Why send us on three wild goose chases? He knows how we operate. I'm positive he had eyes on us the whole time. Ollerman doesn't play games. He always has a purpose when he makes a move. I just can't shake this feeling that I'm missing something." Will said, obviously frustrated.

"Ok, so if we know someone on the inside is feeding us bad intel, why don't we follow up on that? We can get Jai and Standish to trace the leads back to try and figure out who the mole is, just like they did with Todd. We play along, like everyone is going on the next mission, but instead we go and grab the mole and MAKE them talk." Frankie said, excited at the prospect of getting to 'make them talk'.

"Frankie, I like the plan but you know you can't do that right now, doctor's orders.", Will said nervously.

"What the doctor said is I can't shoot my gun. I have other ways of making people talk without shooting them. Although that is my favorite." Frankie said, smiling at the thought of pulling her trigger again.

"Yep. Still terrifying. Add in those pregnancy hormones and God help whoever that mole is!" Will said nervously.

"Yeah." Frankie said, smiling and staring at the ceiling, imagining what she'd do to the mole.

"Jai and Standish upped all the security measures at Kelly's in preparation for the shower. I want us to be able to enjoy the day without having to worry about Ollerman." Will reassured Frankie.

"Ok, great. Yeah, I think we'll be distracted enough." Frankie said with a mischievous smile, thinking about all she had planned for Will's surprise.

Will had a confused look on his face. Before he could ask questions, Frankie kissed him.

"I have an idea." Frankie said, trying to distract Will from asking questions. "How about we turn this sappy movie off and head to bed", she continued while kissing him from his neck back up to his lips.

"Best idea you've had all day." he replied, as he grabbed her hand and led her to the bedroom.

* * *

The day before the baby shower, Will and Frankie checked in at the hotel where the rest of their family and friends were staying. Frankie had reserved a room for them, telling Will that some of Kelly's family were coming from out of town for the shower so there wouldn't be an extra room for them at Kelly's. It was the best excuse she could come up with and she knew Will wouldn't question it because he's Will and trusts her. In reality, she knew things were being set up for the surprise she had waiting for him tomorrow and she couldn't take the chance of it being ruined so close to the reveal.

"I'm so happy Erin decided to come. It will be nice to see her and your parents again." said Frankie.

"I know, me too. And look at you. All happy about our families getting together. Never thought I'd see that. I like it, just never thought I'd see it." Will said laughing.

"Me either. I'm sure it's just one of the side effects of that damn charm virus." she said laughing.

"Ok, so tell me again what's happening this evening." Will asked.

"Ray and the guys are taking you out on the town for a 'daddy-to-be' party. Susan and the ladies will be at Kelly's with me for my 'mommy-to-be' party. It's kind of like a bachelor/bachelorette party, but for expectant parents instead. Oh, and Susan already warned Ray, so I'm just giving you a subtle reminder too...it better stay PG rated, if you want to live to see your children." Frankie said, giving Will that 'I will kill you dead' look with a quick smile.

"Copy that!" Will said, afraid to make eye contact.

* * *

That afternoon, they met everyone for lunch at a local restaurant. Afterwards, the guys headed back to the hotel to get ready for their night out on the town while the ladies headed back to Kelly's.

At Kelly's, the ladies were busy getting all the last minute details in order. When they were finished, they all gathered in the living room to enjoy a glass of wine (except for Frankie, of course) and talk about tomorrow's schedule.

"Does Will have any clue what's really going on?" Kelly asked Frankie.

"I don't think so. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you. I could never have pulled this off without everyone's help. I just hope the guys won't let anything slip tonight that could ruin the surprise tomorrow." Frankie said to the group.

"I don't think you need to worry about that." Susan said. "I had a chat with the guys before we left. Pretty sure they won't say a word."

"What did you say to them?" Frankie said laughing.

"Oh, you know. Just that if they let anything slip, we'd tie them to the chairs in the back in the pool table room and I'd help you torture them slowly the way you used to do to get info out of captured assets." Susan said smiling.

"Jai informed them of some of the tactics you guys used back in the day. Standish nearly peed himself when Jai finished. And Ray, well since you cut his brakes that time, he'll never NOT be afraid of you. So, I'm pretty sure their lips are sealed." Susan finished, laughing.

"Good times." Frankie quipped, forgetting Laurie was in the room.

Frankie looked at Laurie and immediately got nervous. Kelly and Erin knew the types of things Frankie had to do because of work but Laurie hadn't heard any of her stories. She knew Frankie worked for the CIA but that's as far as it went.

Laurie, seeing the nervous look on Frankie's face, grabbed Frankie's hand.

"Honey, I'm not sure exactly what types of tactics you've used in the past but if you get those kind of results out of the men, I may need you to share some with me later. Tell you what, I'll trade you my recipes for your tactics." Laurie said smiling.

Immediately, they all burst out in laughter. Frankie hugged Laurie. In that moment, Frankie's heart broke from missing her mom. She knew that was a hole in her heart that could never be filled. Laurie, however, with her kindness and loving maternal nature towards Frankie, had helped Frankie rediscover that mother's unconditional love she'd missed for so long.

"So, are you ready for tomorrow? It's going to be a pretty big day." Erin asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Frankie replied.

They stayed up talking a little longer then decided to head to bed a little earlier than usual. Tomorrow they had to be up very early and it was going to be a long day.

* * *

The guys, however, had no intention of calling it an early night.

"You guys ready to go bro-it-out?" Ray said, excited as a kid at Christmas. "Here Will, this is for you."

Ray pulled out a necklace with two pacifiers hanging from it, one pink and one blue.

"It's your daddy-to-be necklace. Not sure what you guys are having but I figured it would cover both bases." Ray said smiling.

"Thanks Ray but I'm not wearing that." Will said, shaking his head.

"Oh c'mon man. Just have fun with it, you know like we used to do in the good ole days." Ray pleaded.

Jai, thinking about the talk Susan had with them back at the Dead Drop, decided to intervene.

"Ray. You're going to get him killed before he even has a chance to meet his kids. Women love men with babies. That necklace will be like a beacon for lots of women and I, for one, value my life. I have seen the things Frankie's done to get assets to talk. Add that to those pregnancy hormones that already keep us all on edge and even I can't make a device that will create an explosion that big if a woman so much as flirts with Will tonight. Will, for the love of God, please do not wear that necklace." Jai pleaded with both Ray and Will.

Will, terrified by the vision of what Jai just described, said, "Fair point. Ray, I'm sorry buddy but no-can-do on the necklace."

"Ray, Ray?" Will called as Ray was a million miles away in thought, remembering the look on Frankie's face when she cut his brakes.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You know what, on second thought, let's just forget about the necklace." Ray said, trying to get his heart rate back down to normal.

Standish, still single, chimed in, "Yo, don't throw it away. I'll take it. Let's see if this thing works as good as Jai says it does.", taking the necklace from Ray and putting it around his neck.

"First up, food!" Standish demanded. "Let's get wings. Oh, and beer."

They enjoyed the rest of the night, eating, drinking, and talking about how many numbers Standish got from women because of the necklace. Instead of telling the ladies he was having a kid, he told them Will and Frankie were his adopted parents and he was going to be having two little brothers or sisters. He learned his lesson about lying to women from Susan. Standish felt as though Will and Frankie were his adopted parents and, even though he would have the babies call him 'uncle', he still felt like the babies would be the little brothers or sisters he never had, so he wasn't lying. Each woman he met thought it was so cute that he was so into the babies. By the end of the night, Standish had at least seven numbers to choose from.

"Jai, good call on the necklace man. I've never gotten so many numbers in one night in my entire life!" Standish said proudly.

"Hey, if I can get this many numbers _before_ the babies are here, imagine how many I could get just babysitting them, taking them out and about, to the park..." Standish said daydreaming before Will cut him off.

"You're not using my kids as a chick magnet Standish. Besides, Frankie would punch you in the throat if you let the babies around random women." Will pointed out.

"Fine. But I'm keeping the necklace. This baby is my new wingman." Standish said while looking down at the necklace.

The guys shook their head and laughed at Standish.

They stayed out on the town until around 1am. They would have stayed out longer but Will reminded them they had to be at Kelly's early. Before heading into his room, Will walked up to Ray.

"Hey Ray. Thanks for tonight buddy. I had a really good time." Will said, patting Ray on the back.

"Thanks, man. Will, I'm really happy for you. You deserve to be happy, bro and you're going to make a great father." Ray said, hugging Will.

"Thanks, Ray. Go get some sleep." Will told Ray as they both walked into their rooms.

* * *

Will, excited to find out what he and Frankie were having, barely slept after returning to the hotel. He was up and ready to head to Kelly's an hour before the rest of the guys. The plan was for everyone to meet at 8am to have breakfast at Kelly's house. The shower was scheduled to start at 1pm. Will, full of nervous energy, called Jai, Standish, Ray, and his dad to make sure they were up and getting ready to leave.

Once they arrived at Kelly's, Will made his way to the kitchen to find Frankie. Her back turned to him, she didn't see him coming as he wrapped his arms around her belly and kissed her on the neck as he said, "Good morning beautiful".

Frankie, smiling, turned to look at him. Without missing a beat, she kissed him on the lips then said, "Good morning, dork."

Frankie, taking Will by the hand, said, "Come with me, I want to show you something."

Will, not sure what was going on, held Frankie's hand as she led him through the French doors to the back yard. As she opened both doors, Will was stunned by what he saw.

Straight ahead, near the edge of the property line, stood a wooden arch, covered in greenery. Interwoven into the greenery were yellow roses with red tips, which made the roses look like flames of a fire. At the bottom of each side of the arch sat old whiskey barrels, each one supporting a bouquet of flowers that matched the ones in the arch. Leading from the arch back towards Will was a path of rose petals, the same color as in the arch and bouquets. On either side of the path were empty chairs. To the right, a long white tent was erected, under which sat several tables all covered in white. Smaller versions of the bouquets on the whiskey barrel were placed in the middle of each table. At the south end of the tent there was a small dance floor and DJ stand. On the east side, what looked like a buffet line. The north end had two smaller tables, one with a place setting for two people and the on the other sat several gifts.

Will, not believing what he was seeing, looked at Frankie. For the first time since they'd met, Will was at a loss for words.

Frankie, seeing him speechless, led him to a wooden bench just to the side of the doors leading outside. As they sat next to each other, Frankie grabbed both of Will's hands, interlacing her fingers in his.

"Damn, Whiskey." Frankie said, "I've never seen you speechless before."

Before Will could collect his words to respond, Frankie, smiling, said, "Will, I just want you to listen for a minute. Let me finish what I want to say while I still have the nerve to say it, ok?"

Will, still in shock, nodded and smiled.

Frankie continued, "William Stoddard Chase", she said chuckling, "The past two years with you have been an adventure, to say the least. I never thought in a million years that I would open my heart again to someone after my parents died. Then you come along, annoy the hell out of me, infect me with your charm virus, knock me up, and here we are. I want our babies to come into the world to Mr. and Mrs. Chase, living in one house, as a family. Yes, I said the "f" word. You've been so patient with me as I've worked through my trust and commitment issues. I wanted to surprise you and actually _show_ you how committed I am to you and our family. So, Whiskey, I have a question for you. Will you marry me?"

Frankie laughed before Will could respond and said, as she cradled her baby bump, "I'd get down on my knee but I don't think I could get back up on my own."

Will, with tears in his eyes, grabbed Frankie's face with both hands and kissed her deeply. When they both came up for air, Will said, tears streaming down his face, "Of course I will. I can't believe all this, Frankie. How did you put all this together?"

"Oh, I had a little help." Frankie replied, smiling.

Frankie, looking at the time, said to Will, "Ok, so the plan is to finish breakfast then you and the guys will go back to the hotel to get ready. Kelly will be performing the ceremony. Tommy insisted on being the ring bearer. Susan, Erin, and your mom will be standing up with me. Standish is on DJ duties. Which leaves your dad, Jai, and Ray standing with you. I've asked Jai to walk me down the aisle. I know when you talked about getting married in the past you mentioned having your dad as your best man. I didn't mention it to him, as I thought that should be a conversation between the two of you. After the ceremony and reception, we'll change and have the baby shower."

"And find out what these two are gonna be!", Will said excitedly, rubbing Frankie's belly.

"Yep! The wait is finally over! I'm hoping for two girls, that way we'll have you out numbered.", Frankie said laughing.

"Fine by me, two little Girl Scouts.", Will said smiling back.

"Oh, one more thing.", Frankie said, holding up her index finger.

"You need to write your vows. Kelly will do the traditional ones but I had her add in an area where we could do our own too, since I know how much you like to talk about your feelings.", Frankie said, rolling her eyes.

"Ha! I already have them right here." Will replied, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his wallet.

"Of course you do. Just make sure it's got the correct _bride's_ name on it.", Frankie said sarcastically.

"Got it. You got a pen?", Will said jokingly, then noticed the 'Seriously, I'll kill you' look on Frankie's face.

"I'm just kidding." Will told Frankie, grabbing her and pulling her close to him as he continued, "Frankie, I know you may not believe this but I wrote these after we first kissed in Prague. I always hoped but never knew if we'd get to this point, but me holding onto this little piece of paper...that was me never giving up and having faith that our love would one day be stronger than your fears."

Frankie, holding back tears, laid her head on Will's chest and said softly, "Thanks again for never giving up on me."

Frankie was still nervous about fully letting go emotionally. This was a huge step for her. She knew in her heart and mind that this is what she wanted, just as much as Will. She just had to keep reminding herself of Susan's words: "You'll get there. It just takes _time._"

After they embraced for what felt like forever, Frankie cleared her throat and looked up at Will.

"Allright, let's go tell everyone the good news so we can get this party started.", Frankie replied.

"Wait. What about the rings? What about my tux?", Will asked

"Already got it covered. Your mom and I got all the dresses the day we went out together. Jai and Standish coordinated with your dad and Ray to get tuxes for you and the guys. And the rings...I hope you don't mind but I got us matching gunmetal rings. You know, so they would match my bullet necklace.", Frankie said, with a half smile and raised eyebrow.

"Nice!" Will said, nodding his head. "But one more thing...how did you know I'd say 'yes'?"

Frankie, rolling her eyes, said, "Because you're Will and you kill at weddings, remember?"

"I do, don't I!" responded Will, proud of himself.

"Sadly, yes. And this time I'll even let you catch the bouquet!", Frankie teased, "I know how heartbroken you were about not being able to catch the one in Russia."

They both laughed as they headed back towards the house.

* * *

Will and Frankie, walking hand in hand, came back inside to the dining room, where everyone was seated and ready for breakfast. Will, very proudly, asked for everyone's attention.

"I have some good news everyone.", Will started.

Before he could finish, everyone said in unison, "You're getting married!"

Will, with a disappointed look on his face for not getting to make the announcement, said, "Oh, good, you heard.", as he sat down with Frankie.

Everyone laughed and gave their congratulations, while enjoying the meal.

* * *

After breakfast, the guys returned to the hotel to get ready. Will pulled his dad aside and asked if he'd be his best man.

"You know you don't even have to ask, son. I'd be honored. Listen, son...that Frankie, she's a keeper. Don't screw it up, ok.", Richard replied while patting Will on the back.

"I know dad. I never thought I'd find someone that makes me as happy as mom makes you. Thanks dad. Thanks for setting such a good example for me. I hope I can be at least half the husband and father you are. I love you, dad." Will said, tearing up.

"You're already better than me. I love you too, son." Richard replied, hugging Will.

As Richard walked away to finish getting ready, Jai, Standish, and Ray made their way over to Will.

"I'm so happy you and mom finally got your crap together and are getting married! This means I won't have to choose sides at the holidays anymore.", Standish said, giving Will a hug.

Jai, shaking his head at Standish, looked at Will and said, "Francesca has been my best friend and family for a long time. I trust you, Will, but, if you ever hurt her or the kids, I will find a way to hurt you many, many times worse than you ever hurt them. I've fine tuned the art of making everyday hygiene products explode. And remember, I'm always listening."

"I appreciate you looking out for them, Jai. But I can assure you, you have nothing to worry about.", Will said in a nervous tone.

"I hope so!", Jai nodded as he turned and walked away to finish getting dressed.

Lastly, Ray approached Will. He was caught off guard when Will spoke to him first.

"Ray, before you say anything, I just want to thank you.", Will said to a startled Ray.

"Thank me?", Ray asked.

"Yeah, Ray. Don't get me wrong, it still stings that you went behind my back with Gigi but, if it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have met Frankie. So, in a weird, round-a-bout way, I guess I should thank you.", Will replied.

Ray, without warning, grabbed Will and hugged him so hard Will had to tell him to take it easy.

"Listen, I know you said we're good and all back in Prague but I truly am sorry Will. You're the best bro a guy could ask for and I won't screw that up again. And Frankie, she's, well she scares the hell out of me, but I see how happy she makes you and I _know_ how much she loves you. I've got the threats against my life to prove it! But I just wanted to say I hope we can keep hanging out and have 'bro time' like last night. That was fun and I miss it. Plus, since Susan and Frankie are besties, maybe we can go on trips together, have Bar-B-Ques together,...", Ray kept going until Will cut him off.

"Ray, Ray, I get it buddy. Thanks. That sounds good.", Will said, patting Ray on the back.

Lastly, Will went over to Tommy who needed help with his bowtie.

"Hey buddy, how you doing over here?", Will asked.

"Ok, I guess. Hey Will, since you and Frankie are getting married, does that mean you're my brother for real now?" Tommy asked.

"Yep. I mean, I already consider you my brother but this just makes it official.", Will explained.

"Awesome!", Tommy exclaimed, while jumping up to high-five Will.

Will looked around the room and wanted to pinch himself to make sure this was really finally happening. He smiled and said, "Ok guys, let's finish getting ready so I can _finally_ get married!"

* * *

Back at Kelly's, the ladies were having their own one-on-one conversations with Frankie.

Kelly, who was already dressed in a pant-suit, helped Frankie get into her dress. Frankie had chosen an off-white chiffon dress with a simple A-line and V-neck. The dress was lace from the waist-up, including the sleeves, which were long. The v-neck came down slightly in the front, but went down longer in the back. The bottom half of the dress was long and flowing, curving elegantly over her baby bump.

The bridesmaids dresses were a simple design. They were a fiery red that matched the tips of the roses. The sleeveless dresses flared in vibrant chiffon. They were fitted at the waist and had a flared calf-length hem. Frankie never forgot the hideous bridesmaid's dress she was forced to endure in Paris a couple of years ago and made a personal vow that, if she ever did get married, she'd never put her own bridesmaids through the same horror. Frankie felt comfortable with this vow as, at the time, she was 99.9% sure she'd never get married.

Once everyone had their turn in the make-up/hair chair, they relaxed and talked to Frankie, trying to calm her obvious nerves.

Susan was the most concerned for Frankie and was actually happy Frankie was as pregnant as she was, thinking it would be harder for her to run away at the last minute. Susan pulled Frankie off to the side and gave her friend a hug.

"Hey, sweetie, how you holding up?", Susan asked.

"Actually, I'm nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I'd be. What I mean is, I truly cannot wait to marry Will. I still get butterflies just thinking about it. Before, I would just push those feelings down, afraid to actually _feel_ them, but I finally let him into my heart and it's a very freeing feeling. I have no doubts about marrying him. My nerves are actually because I want everything to be perfect _for_ him.", Frankie explained.

"That's good. Cause girl, the look you had on your face a minute ago had me worried that you were about to make a run for it. I mean, I didn't think you'd get very far in your condition but, I know you and it would have gotten ugly fast if someone tried to stop you.", Susan said laughing.

"Nope, not running." Frankie said, laughing with Susan. "Hey Sus, thanks for always having my back. I know I'm not the easiest person to work with but I do appreciate your help, especially through this complicated relationship Will and I have had. I love you, girl.", Frankie said, while hugging Susan.

"It wasn't _that_ complicated. You guys are just two of the most stubborn people I've ever known. I just had to help you both see, at the same time, that you really cared and loved each other and that it was safe for both of you to love again. But that's my job, it's what I do.", Susan said smiling.

"Oh, before I forget. Jai asked me to give you this. He said to tell you it's your 'something new' and it's loaded if you need it.", Susan said laughing.

Frankie opened the box to a beautiful heart locket. She could see it would open but, knowing Jai, chose to leave it closed.

"It's beautiful. Would you mind putting it on for me? You know, I asked Jai to walk me down the aisle because he's been my best friend and like a brother to me for a long time. No matter where I was or what I got myself into, he's always been there for me. I guess, before you guys, he was really all the family I had when I was out in the field, even through all those years I didn't talk to Kelly." Frankie explained.

"It's so funny watching Jai try to act like he's not emotionally invested in this wedding. He's so happy for you, about the wedding and your pregnancy, but he still can't bring himself to show a lot of emotion.", Susan said.

"Well", Laurie said, walking over to Frankie. "I have your something old.", as she gave Frankie a small velvet box.

Frankie opened the box and was stunned to see a matching pair of beautiful diamond earrings.

"These were my mother's earrings, given to her by my father. Erin and I talked about it and we both agreed you should have them. She would have loved you as much as we do. I would like for you to have them and someday pass them down to my granddaughter.", Laurie said.

"Granddaughter?" Frankie asked, "Do you know something we don't?"

"No.", Laurie replied, "But if you don't have a girl this time you can keep trying until you give me one.", she continued while smiling.

"Thank you, both of you. These are perfect.", Frankie said, trying to hold back tears as she hugged Laurie and Erin.

Erin, trying to help Frankie emotionally the way Frankie had helped her weeks ago, said, trying to change the subject so Frankie would stop crying, "Hey, I really appreciate you taking that dork brother of mine off the market. You deserve better than him but I guess he'll do.", she continued while laughing, in an effort to lighten the mood.

"Thanks, Erin. Yeah, I guess he's ok.", Frankie replied, shrugging her shoulders and laughing with Erin.

"Ok, ladies, we're about to get started. Is everyone ready?", Kelly asked.

"Hey Kelly, can I talk to you a minute?", Frankie asked.

"Sure. I actually have something for you too.", Kelly said, pulling a small box out of her pocket.

"This is your something borrowed and something blue. Do you recognize it?", Kelly asked while opening the box.

As soon as Kelly opened the box, tears started flowing down Frankie's face. In the box, folded so small and neatly, was the light blue handkerchief her mother always carried everywhere she went.

"Where...how...how did you get this?", Frankie asked

"It was in your parents few personal belongings they recovered from the crash site. I had it cleaned and sealed. Your mother was my best friend and I miss her every day, as I know you do. When I saw it in their belongings I kept it, as it always reminds me of her. I hope you aren't upset that I didn't give it to you with the rest of the belongings. It's just, that was the one thing that always reminded me of her.", Kelly explained.

Frankie, crying, hugged Kelly tight.

"I'm not mad, I understand. I just never thought I'd see this again and I can remember her carrying it with her as if it was yesterday. I used to joke with her that she was so old fashioned for carrying it around. Thank you, Kelly. It makes me feel like she's right here with me today.", Frankie said, still crying.

"She is. They both are, Frankie.", Kelly replied, dabbing Frankie's eyes as to try not to ruin her makeup.

Frankie looked up at Kelly and said, "What I wanted to tell you is how much I appreciate you taking me in after my parents died. I know I wasn't the easiest kid and I've stayed away for way too long but I do appreciate everything you've done for me. I love you , Kelly."

"I know you do. I love you too, kiddo.", Kelly said, hugging Frankie one more time.

"Ok, let's get this shotgun wedding started!", Kelly said, as everyone laughed.

* * *

Kelly and Will took their places under the arch as all the guests settled in their chairs. Kelly took the opportunity to get in a quick jab at Will.

"Hey, human Care Bear, you better be good to my girl and grandkids!, she said smiling.

"Thanks, mom, I plan on it.", Will quipped back, smiling at Kelly.

Just then, Standish started the music. First, Richard and Susan came down the aisle. Next, Laurie and Ray made their way to the front and took their places next to Richard and Susan. Erin and Tommy walked down together next, both settling in up at the front too. There were about 30 guests in attendance, a combination of a fellow FBI and CIA agents, friends of both Kelly and Will's parents, as well as a few cousins from Will's side of the family. Everyone stood up as Standish started the traditional Bridal March song.

They all turned to see Frankie standing just outside the French doors. Will took one look at her and immediately the tears started flowing. As she walked down the aisle, escorted by Jai, he literally had to catch his breath at how beautiful she looked in her flowing gown. She had such a glow to her, and the way the dress curved across her baby bump gave him chills. He didn't think it was possible for her to be any more gorgeous than she looked lying in their bed, with just the moonlight shining across her olive skin. Today, however, the image of her walking toward him, in that stunning dress, would be etched in his mind forever. She looked exquisite and she was _finally_ going to be his wife.

As Frankie got to the front, Jai gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek as he gave Frankie's hand to Will and took his place next to Richard and Ray.

Frankie handed her bouquet to Susan and turned to face Will, both holding each other's hands.

Before the ceremony started, Will whispered to Frankie, "You look absolutely gorgeous."

Frankie, knowing things would get serious soon enough, couldn't help herself as she said, "Thanks, dork. You're not so bad yourself. And look, these aren't work shoes.", she smiled as she lifted her dress just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the small heels she was wearing that perfectly matched her dress, unlike the pink tennis shoes she had on in Paris.

"I love it and I love you too!", Will whispered

Frankie, also whispering, "I love you too, Will"

As Kelly started the ceremony, Frankie and Will couldn't take their eyes off of each other. They each recited the traditional vows to one another as Kelly instructed, both laughing under their breath as Kelly recited their full names: William Stoddard Chase and Francesca Leigh Trowbridge. They had called each other by their code names and nicknames for so long, they almost didn't recognize their own full names. Next, it was time for Frankie and Will to say their own vows, with Frankie going first.

"Will, I must admit, when I first met you that night in Russia, I did feel a spark in the pit of my stomach. I tried my best to ignore it, as I had not allowed myself to love for so long. Then you went and saved my life. You asked me to trust you when I didn't even know you. But, there was something about you that was so easy to trust, and I did. Sometime later, you infected me with your charm virus, and, as hard as I tried, I could not stop my feelings for you from growing. Will, you taught me how to love again, showed me what true love is, and what it feels like to fully let go and give someone your heart. Today, I do just that. I give you my heart, fully, as your wife. I love you more each day and I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together, loving each other and these beautiful babies that will soon join us on this journey."

Will wiping tears from his eyes, pulled his folded paper out of his pocket and read his vows to Frankie.

"Frankie, for me, that night in Russia truly was love at first sight. You came in, looking so beautiful in that red dress, and that night I saw our children in your eyes. I kept telling myself that I was crazy, but I too couldn't fight my feelings for you. I knew the moment I felt panic when you got hurt that I couldn't lose you. You were different and you had my heart from that moment on. True, it took a while and we had to travel a long, bumpy road to get to this point, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Every experience we've had together, just brought us closer together and made our love stronger. I told you the day we found out you were pregnant that you were all I ever wanted and all I'll ever need, and I mean that even more today than I did then. You are the strongest woman I know and I cannot wait for these two beautiful blessings to arrive so we can start our lives together as a family of four. Today, Frankie, I give you my heart, fully, not only as your annoying dork, but more importantly, as your loving, devoted husband."

Kelly asked for Tommy to come up with the rings as Frankie and Will both had tears running down their face. Once Kelly completed the ring ceremony, she looked at Frankie and Will and said the seven words they had been waiting a lifetime to hear: I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Kelly, looking at Will, said, "You may kiss your bride!"

Will put one hand on either side of Frankie's face as she wrapped her arms around Will. They kissed each other long, lovingly, and with a deeper feeling than they'd ever felt before. Once they came up for air, Kelly proudly announced, "I would like to introduce Mr. and Mrs. William Stoddard Chase.", as they both made their way back down the aisle towards the house.

Kelly instructed the guests to enjoy the food and drink while the bride and groom took pictures.

Once they finished the pictures, Will and Frankie headed to the reception tent. They cut the cake and shared sparkling white grape juice, since Frankie couldn't have champagne. Next, they headed to the dance floor for their first dance. Standish, relishing his DJ duties, had the honor of introducing them.

"Please welcome to the dance floor, my mom and dad, Mr. and Mrs. Will Chase." Standish announced.

Will and Frankie made their way to the dance floor as everyone applauded them. Just as they embraced, Will hears 'Despacito' echo out from the speakers. He gives Frankie a look and starts laughing.

"Seriously? This isn't our song." He said, still laughing.

"I know, but I couldn't resist. I had to have Standish play it." Frankie replied as she laughed as hard as Will.

After a couple of minutes, Standish stopped the song and told the crowd, "Ok guys, that was an inside joke for the bride and groom. Let's play their _real_ song now. As the crowd watched, Frankie and Will danced their first song as husband and wife to 'Sharing the Night Together' by Dr. Hook.

"Now this is more like it." Will said as he smiled, holding Frankie close to him as they danced.

As the music played, the babies started to kick really hard. As they danced, Frankie's baby bump was nestled softly against Will's abdomen. Frankie and Will looked at each other at the same time when they started kicking.

"Wow, I can actually _feel_ that! Are you ok?" Will asked Frankie as they continued to dance.

Frankie, smiling from ear to ear, said "Yeah, I guess they wanted to dance too."

With that, Frankie laid her head against Will's chest and enjoyed the rest of their dance.

After the dance, Will and Frankie took turns throwing the bouquet and garter. Erin caught the bouquet, while Standish caught the garter.

Frankie and Will then excused themselves as they went inside to change for the shower.

* * *

Frankie and Will returned to the reception area after changing and sat at the table at the front of the tent to have a quick bite to eat before starting the shower festivities.

Frankie had changed into an off-white pant suit, while Will was wearing a polo shirt and dress pants. After they finished eating, they opened the baby shower gifts. Kelly made note of the gifts and who they were from so thank you cards could be sent out later.

After the gifts, it was time for the gender reveal.

Ray helped Jai get everything into place as Standish got everyone's attention on the microphone.

"Ok, so Frankie, knowing how much you miss getting to shoot things, Jai came up with a way for you guys to find out what you're having, _and_ allow you to shoot something in the process. It's perfectly safe because they are just air pistols, but if you look at them carefully, they should look familiar." Standish explained.

Ray and Jai had the targets lined up down near the wooden arch from the ceremony. At the opposite end, they set up a table with two air pistols lying on it. Frankie looked down at the pistols and got emotional.

"Aww, Jai, they look just like my favorite pistol, Old Faithful." Frankie said, tearing up. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Francesca." Jai said, starting to tear up himself at the sight of her tears.

Jai cleared his throat and said, "Ok, at the count of three, I want you to both shoot at your respective targets. Once you each hit your bulls eyes twice, a colored cloud of smoke will emerge from the target, revealing the gender of the babies."

"This is great, thanks Jai!" Will said, picking up his pistol.

Frankie, having longed for the feel of a pistol in her hand for many months now, already had it raised, aimed and was ready for the countdown.

Standish asked if they were ready. Both Frankie and Will nodded 'yes'.

Standish started the countdown on the microphone. "Ok, here we go. One...two...th.."

Before Standish could get the word 'three' out, Frankie shot not only her bulls eye twice but also Will's, hitting them both dead center with all four rounds, revealing a cloud of both pink and blue smoke.

"God that felt good!" Frankie said, lowering her pistol, having a moment to herself.

Will, in disbelief of what just happened, looked over at Frankie.

Frankie, seeing the disappointment in Will's face, quickly realized what she'd done.

"Oh my gosh, Will, I'm so sorry. It's just...it's been so long since I've fired a weapon and I got into the zone and..." Frankie explained, as she put the pistol on the table.

Will smiled. "Don't apologize. That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen. And look, we're having a girl and a boy!" Will pointed out as everyone cheered and applauded in the background.

It took a moment for Frankie to snap out of it and realize what Will said.

"A girl? _and_ a boy?" Frankie kissed and embraced Will, both of them crying with excitement.

Standish, still on the mike, said jokingly to the crowd, "Hey yo! I'm getting a little brother and a little sister. Let's give mom and dad another round of applause."

As they made their way back to the tent, Frankie stopped to talk to Jai.

"Congratulations, Francesca. I'm so happy for you and remember, I'll be here and will always have your back." Jai said, hugging Frankie.

"Jai, thank you so much. I couldn't have imagined a better way to find out what we were having. I needed that sooo badly. You know me so well! And, I'll always be here for you too." Frankie responded.

* * *

The guests stayed a little longer, then slowly started to head home. The plan was for Frankie and Will to go back to the hotel room together and everyone would meet back at Kelly's the next morning to have breakfast before heading home.

Before they left, Kelly pulled Frankie and Will to the side and gave them an envelope.

"This is for the both of you. It's for your honeymoon. I rented you guys a cabin for a week. It's secluded, up in the mountains, off the radar. Very peaceful. Just you guys and nature. I thought it would be a good way to unwind before the babies get here." Kelly explained.

"No way!" Will exclaimed. "Thank you so much! This is great!"

"Thank you, Kelly. Thank you for everything and for helping put all this together. I love you!" Frankie said, hugging Kelly.

"Allright, you. Finally ready for your hug?" Kelly asked Will.

"You know it! Wait, is this for real or are you just teasing me again?" Will asked hesitantly.

"Get over here you big doofus. This one's for real!" Kelly said while embracing Will. "I'm glad Frankie found you. I know she's in good hands."

"Thanks Kelly." Will replied, enjoying the hug.

Next, Will's parents and Erin had lined up to say goodnight.

"A grandson and granddaughter! This has been the best day ever! I just can't wait for them to get here. I love you guys!" Laurie exclaimed, tears running down her face as she embraced Will and Frankie.

Erin punched Will in the arm as she said, "Congrats, little brother. I hope for their sake they look like Frankie!"

"Thanks Erin. Believe it or not, I do too.", Will said while rubbing his arm before giving Erin a hug.

"I'm good with that too, as long as they have Will's eyes." Frankie smiled as she hugged Erin next.

Richard was next. "We're so excited for you guys. Congratulations!", he said before also hugging Frankie and Will.

Frankie and Will walked outside to see their car completely decorated, with 'Just Married' written in white shoe polish across the back window and beer cans attached to streamers tied to the back bumper. Plastered all over the car were large, printed fortune cookie fortunes that also read 'Just Married'. Frankie and Will, both laughing, turned and looked at Ray, Susan, Jai, and Standish, standing in the yard.

"We figured since you never got your fortune cookies the night Ollerman took us all hostage that we'd go ahead and give them to you now. I'm pretty sure that night would have been the first night you guys hooked up, had it not been for the interruption." Susan explained, smiling at them both.

"Thanks guys, this is great! We love you all, the entire family!" Will said, helping Frankie to the car as Jai and Standish threw birdseed at them while laughing.

"Seriously?" Frankie frowned after being covered in birdseed. She gave them the 'You will die a slow and painful death if you throw anymore of that' look and they immediately stopped like two kids caught red-handed breaking the rules.

Everyone gathered outside and waved goodbye as Will and Frankie drove off towards the hotel.

* * *

Once they arrived at the hotel, it took Frankie at least five minutes to get all of the birdseed off of her.

"Remind me to kill Jai and Standish when we get home." she said to Will, who was laughing.

"C'mon, Mrs. Chase. Let's go inside." Will said as he grabbed her hand.

When they got to the room, Will asked Frankie to stay outside while he got a chair to prop the door open.

"Call me old fashioned, but I want to carry you over the threshold." Will said

"Of the hotel room? I thought that was supposed to be at our own place." Frankie questioned.

"Humor me, ok? I've waited for this moment for what seems like forever." Will said as he kissed Frankie.

"You're lucky you are so damn cute, Mr. Chase." Frankie said sarcastically. "But, I'm not exactly as light as I used to be", she said, rubbing her belly.

"Not a problem." Will said as he lifted her off her feet.

He pretended to struggle with balancing her as he said, "Man, it's like there's three of you! Totally my fault!"

"Yes, it is. ALL your fault!" Frankie laughed as Will closed the door behind them.

"How about you let me make it up to you, Mrs. Chase?" Will said while kissing Frankie deeply.

"I thought you'd never ask, Mr. Chase." Frankie said, smiling and kissing him back.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, Will loaded up the presents in the car, everyone said their goodbyes, and they headed back home.

Frankie, exhausted from yesterday's events and not getting much sleep the previous night, slept most of the way home.

When they arrived home, they went to Will's apartment. After unloading all of the presents into the living room, he sat down next to Frankie, who had comfortably situated herself on the sofa with her swollen feet propped up.

"You're feet are really swollen, want me to rub them for you?" Will offered.

"Oh my gosh, that would be great!" Frankie replied.

As Will gently massaged Frankie's swollen feet, Frankie took the opportunity to give Will one last surprise.

"So, I have one last surprise for you. I didn't renew the lease on my apartment so as soon as I get what little bit of furniture I have left there out, I'll be officially moved in with you, my husband, where I belong." Frankie said with a smile.

Will, in shock, stopped rubbing Frankie's feet and looked up at her.

"I'll call the movers tomorrow!" he said ecstatically and leaned over to kiss Frankie.

"I thought you might like that." Frankie said.

"But please, don't stop now." she begged while pointing at her feet.

Frankie looked at Will and could only smile as her heart felt like it was about to burst staring at the amazing man willing to do anything for her, even rub her swollen feet.

"You know, I really do love you, my annoying dork of a husband" she said, leaning over to kiss him again.

Will, still trying to wrap his head around the events of the last 48 hours, couldn't stop smiling as he kissed Frankie back and said, "I love you too, my beautiful assassin of a wife."

They both laughed as Will thought about the deeper meaning of Frankie finally giving up her apartment and moving in with him.

Even though they were now married, this was the final step to them _truly_ being together as a family. One house, one name. Just the four of them. Forever.


	10. Chapter 10

A week after the wedding, Frankie was fully moved into Will's apartment. Their next focus was to get the nursery set up and ready for the arrival of their son and daughter. Over the next several weeks, Will had Ray, Jai, and Standish come over and help put the cribs and changing tables together. Susan came too and helped Frankie decorate and put the finishing touches on the nursery.

Before they knew it, Frankie was three weeks from her due date. They had been working so hard on finding the mole helping Ollerman that they realized it was now or never to use the gift of the cabin Kelly had given them if they were to take the trip before the babies arrived.

Before Will and Frankie made their way up the mountain to the cabin, they stopped at a local grocery store to buy groceries and supplies for the week.

As she got out of the car to go into the store, Will noticed Frankie grab her back. Will came around to her side of the car to check on her.

"Are you ok?" He asked, rubbing the same area her hand was covering.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My back is just really hurting. I think it's from the ride up here. I probably just need to walk a little and stretch it out.", Frankie said.

Once they were finished at the store, they made their way up the road leading to the cabin. Kelly was right, it was secluded. At least a two mile drive up once they turned off the main road. When they arrived at the cabin, they were in awe of the view and the coziness of the cabin itself.

The front porch had two cypress rocking chairs, perfect for enjoying the sunrise. Once inside, the floor plan of the cabin was open, with the kitchen on the left and living room on the right, featuring a magnificent stone fireplace. Off the living room were two separate bedrooms, and an extra bathroom. Behind the dining table off the kitchen were two sets of wooden French-style doors that opened up to the back porch, revealing a breathtaking view overlooking the mountain. On the back porch sat a small cypress table with chairs, along with additional rocking chairs, perfect for enjoying dinner while watching the sunset.

"Wow!" Will exclaimed, when opening the door. "Frankie, you gotta see this!"

Frankie, also impressed with the beauty and seclusion of the cabin, said, "Kelly doesn't spare any expense, does she? This is beautiful. And so quiet."

"The store manager said there may be a storm towards the end of the week. We'll probably miss it but, just to be on the safe side, I'm going to bring in a lot of wood. Can't have you three getting chilled." Will said, kissing Frankie on the forehead while rubbing her belly.

"You go in and rest, I'll get the bags and wood and get a fire going." Will said.

"I won't argue with you on that." Frankie said, exhausted from the drive.

Frankie found it harder and harder to get comfortable the closer she got to her due date. She melted into the leather couch, took her shoes off, and propped them up so they were elevated. By the time Will got the car unloaded and returned inside, Frankie was fast asleep.

Will couldn't take his eyes off of her laying there on the couch. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The woman he loved more than anything in the world was not only now his wife but also about to become the mother of his children. Will knelt down after covering Frankie up and kissed her on the cheek. He then gently rubbed her large baby bump as he said, "You two keep it down so your mama can rest, ok?", then kissed her belly too.

A few hours later, Frankie woke up to the smell of Will cooking dinner.

"Hey, you! How's your back?", Will asked as Frankie got up and headed towards him in the kitchen.

"Still a little sore but I feel much better. These two even kept it down so I could sleep", Frankie smiled while rubbing her belly.

"Will, you know we really have to decide on their names. I think this week would be a good time to do that.", Frankie said.

"I agree. Why don't we discuss it over dinner tonight? I'll get my list and you can get yours and we can compare notes." he said.

"Sure, ok." Frankie said, opening her eyes wide.

Of course he had a list. It's _WILL_. She knew he had a list. He made a list the day after they found out she was pregnant. Frankie, on the other hand, had a few ideas, but not so many that she had to write them down and create a _list_.

After dinner, Will cleaned off the table outside. When he returned, he and Frankie settled into the rocking chairs to watch the sunset.

"So, Frankie, what are your ideas for names?", Will asked.

"Well, obviously, with our son...we have to have a little Will.", she said smiling.

"Obviously!", Will said laughing.

"So what about a middle name, do you want him to be William Stoddard Chase, Jr.?", Frankie asked.

"Actually, I had another idea. I think we should name him William _Ayden_ Chase.", Will said, grabbing Frankie's hand.

"Ayden means little fire. So, with William Ayden, we'll have little Will and little Fiery. I'd like to think he'll have his mama's fiery strength.", Will said, lifting Frankie's hand to kiss the back of it.

"William Ayden Chase. I love it.", Frankie said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Now, you always wanted a little girl. So, I think you should take the lead on naming our little girl.", Will said.

"Well, I've thought about that. I was named Francesca after my father's father, Francis. My mother's father was Lee. When my mother was born, they named her Leigh, after her father. She gave me her name as my middle name. I would like to give her my middle name, but I'm not sure about a first name. What do you have on your list?" Frankie asked.

"Ok. Don't laugh but I only have one girl name on my list." Will said as he leaned over to show Frankie the name on his list.

"Bella?", Frankie read out loud. "Why Bella?"

"I imagined if we had a little girl she would be as beautiful as you. I looked up names that mean 'beautiful' and I liked Bella the best.", Will explained.

"I can't believe Mr. Eagle Scout only had one girl name on the list. What if we were having two girls?", Frankie said smiling.

"I was going to let you pick out the second name if it was two girls.", Will said

"I want so bad to make fun of you right now for being so cheesy, Will, but...I actually love it.", Frankie said, surprising Will.

Will got up from his chair and knelt down in front of Frankie.

"So, it's official. Can't wait to meet you, Bella Leigh Chase and William Ayden Chase. Daddy loves you both!", Will said as he kissed Frankie's belly.

Will then leaned up and focused his attention on Frankie.

"And I love you too, Mrs. Chase.", he said, kissing her softly.

"Why don't you show me that cozy bedroom you mentioned earlier, Mr. Chase?", Frankie said seductively.

Will smiled and kissed Frankie again.

"I meant _now_, while it's still just the _two_ of us." Frankie said sarcastically as they both laughed headed to the bedroom.

Knowing their lives were about to change dramatically, Frankie and Will decided they wanted as much alone time as possible during their stay at the cabin. They went for walks during the day when it wasn't snowing and Frankie even agreed to watch some of Will's favorite movies with him at night, as long as she could curl up into him on the couch.

The day before they were scheduled to leave, the weather started to turn bad. The sound of the storm woke Will and he got up to go check on things. Frankie was still sleeping when suddenly she was awakened by a jolt of pain across her back. She bit her lip and reached for Will but realized he wasn't there.

"Will? Will?", Frankie yelled out in obvious pain.

When she didn't get a reply and he didn't come into the room, Frankie decided to go find him. As she made her way to the living room, she saw him coming into the cabin, arms full of wood.

"It's getting bad out there." Will said, closing the door.

Realizing Frankie was in pain, Will ran to her side. "Are you ok?", he asked, putting his arm her to brace her.

"No. I'm having these jolts of pain across my back. At first they were just in my back but this last one went all the way across my stomach too." Frankie said, taking deep breaths to ease the pain.

"Let's get you back to the bed.", Will insisted.

As they turned and headed back to the bedroom, Frankie grabbed her belly and said, "Uh-oh. Oh, no!"

"What? What is it?" Will said in a panic.

"I think my water just broke.", Frankie said, pointing to the puddle on the floor.

"Um, ok, don't panic, let me think. Let me call for help so we can get you to a hospital, ok?", Will said anxiously as he got Frankie back to the bed.

Will grabbed his phone and tried to call for help but realized he had no service.

"Damn it!" he said, walking around the cabin holding the phone up trying to find a sliver of a bar to make the call.

"Wiiillll!", he heard Frankie call, in a painful voice reminiscent of the time he saved her live after she was shot when they first met.

"It's ok, Frankie, I'm right here. I can't get any service. I'm going to step outside for just a second to see if I can get reception." he yelled across the cabin.

"C'mon, c'mon." Will exclaimed, walking outside. He didn't get far as the snow had picked up and was really piling up on the ground. Will knew there was no way he could drive their car safely in the storm.

Realizing his efforts were futile, Will went back inside to be with his wife.

"Frankie, I can't get any reception but it's going to be ok. We need to count as you have contractions. I'll try to get service again in a little while.", Will said, holding Frankie's hand.

"How can you say it's going to be ok? They aren't due for two more weeks. And how many times have you delivered a baby, Will?", Frankie said while yelling in pain.

Frankie had squeezed Will's hand so tight it turned pale and he couldn't feel his fingers anymore. He didn't dare say a word, as he was afraid she may punch him in the throat just so he could feel the pain she was experiencing at the moment.

"Frankie, listen. I know this isn't ideal but it _will_ be ok. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I haven't actually delivered a baby but we did learn how to do it in our first aid training. Plus, based on the timing of your contractions, we still have time to try and get reception. Now, let's focus on getting you comfortable and counting the contractions. I read that's what we should do in one of the third trimester books.", Will said proudly.

"Of course you did, you are so freaking annoying!", Frankie said, her voice raising with the wave of pain she was feeling at the same time.

Will stayed silent. He felt helpless watching Frankie in pain. The least he could do, he thought, was to take any verbal abuse she might throw at him without getting his feelings hurt. It was just the pain and hormones talking, he kept telling himself.

Several hours passed as the storm got worse. Will tried multiple times to get a signal, any signal on his and Frankie's phones, with no luck.

Frankie was lying in the bed, trying to rest in between contractions. They were getting closer and Will was growing more concerned.

Being an Eagle Scout, he decided to prepare for the reality that he may be delivering his own son and daughter soon.

"Frankie, I'm going to go get things ready, just in case we have to deliver the babies here. I'll be in and out, so just yell if you need me back asap, ok?" Will said, stroking her hair back out of her face.

Frankie, exhausted, nodded her head yes as Will went to gather supplies.

An hour later, Frankie's contractions were getting closer and closer and she knew it wouldn't be long before the babies would arrive.

"Will, you're going to have to do this. I can feel it. They're coming...soon. I'm so scared, Will. What if something goes wrong? We were supposed to have two more weeks. I can't lose them, Will.", Frankie said in a panic.

"Hey, hey, Frankie, listen to me. Remember when you got shot in Russia? I told you to trust me. Look at me Frankie. We did not come this far for something to go wrong. We can do this. You can do this. I love you and I need you to trust me now more than ever, ok?", Will said.

"I love you too, Will. Ahhhhhh!", Frankie yelled in pain, as the contractions got closer and closer.

Will gathered some towels and helped Frankie get in a more comfortable position for the delivery.

Frankie yelled out again and, as she looked at Will, her eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Will!, they're coming, I can feel it! Oh my God, getting shot and stabbed at the same time doesn't hurt as bad as this!", Frankie said, squinting her face.

Will looked down and could see the head of one of the babies was crowning.

"Frankie, I can see the head. You're going to have to push, ok?" he said.

Frankie took in a breath and pushed as hard as she could, yelling as she exhaled.

"You're doing great, one more ok?", Will said

Frankie pushed again and Will could now see the shoulders of the first baby were almost out.

"One more Frankie, you've got this. I love you. C'mon baby, one more." Will encouraged her.

Frankie let out the loudest yell yet as she pushed one last time. As she leaned back, she could hear the cries of her baby for the first time.

"It's our little girl, Frankie.", Will said, as he cleaned her off the best he could and laid her on Frankie's chest, covering her back with a towel.

"Hi Bella. You're as beautiful as your mama.", Will said as he kissed her little head.

"Hi baby girl! I've waited so long for you!", Frankie cried, kissing her on the forehead.

Frankie and Will both had tears streaming down their face as they stared at their little girl for the first time. Will kissed Frankie on the forehead.

Just then, Frankie felt the pain of the next baby in position.

"Will, Ayden's ready to meet us too, like NOW!", Frankie said.

"Ok, are you ok with Bella on your chest? Can you still push?", Will asked.

Frankie nodded yes as Will looked down and again saw a little head making its appearance.

After several pushes, their son was delivered.

"Frankie, look, it's Ayden!", Will said proudly, holding him up for Frankie to see as they both teared up at the sound of his cries.

"Hi Ayden, I'm your daddy. And I'm so proud of you being a little gentleman and letting your sister come first.", Will said, kissing Ayden's cheek.

Will laid Ayden on Frankie's chest next to Bella.

"Hi my little man. You're just like your daddy. So sweet.", Frankie said, kissing the top of Ayden's head.

Will and Frankie stayed in the bed, with both babies laying on Frankie's chest to give them time to bond.

As Will and Frankie spoke, they noticed the babies look up as if they recognized the sound of their voices.

"Look at that, Frankie. They _do_ recognize our voices. Look how they're looking around for us!", Will said in amazement.

"Will, I have never in my life felt this kind of love for anything before. I don't even know how to explain it. It's just different, but in a good way. Like, I feel complete.", Frankie said about the babies.

"I know exactly what you mean. I love you, Frankie. I'm so proud of you. You did great. I'm in awe of you!" Will said as he kissed Frankie again.

"I love you too, Will. But, let's face it, you were in awe of me way before I gave birth to your children.", Frankie said laughing.

"Fair point.", Will said while laughing too.

"Tell you what. I'm going to take them one at a time, get them fully cleaned up and wrap them up in a towel. I made a couple of make-shift bassinets out of the drawers of the dresser. They should be ok in there long enough to get you cleaned up and comfortable.", Will said, rubbing the babies' backs.

"Ok, but just long enough for me to get cleaned up. These two are hungry...plus, I don't ever want to let go of them.", Frankie said smiling.

"Me either Frankie. Me either.", Will said crying.

An hour later, Will stared in amazement as he watched his wife marvel at the sight of their son and daughter sleeping on her chest. He decided to try one more time to get a signal, but to no avail.

"The storm should let up soon. Hopefully we'll have signal by the morning.", he whispered to Frankie.

"Will, come lay down with us and take your shirt off.", Frankie insisted.

Will came over and laid down next to Frankie. As he removed his shirt, she placed Ayden on his chest.

"They need to bond with you too, daddy.", Frankie said smiling.

Will laid there with Ayden on his chest and talked to him about all the things they were going to do together. He told him all about the Boy Scouts and how he couldn't wait to be his troop leader and soccer coach.

Frankie, too, couldn't stop smiling and crying as she watched Bella nurse. She rubbed her finger across Bella's little cheek as she talked about all the little girly-girl things they would do together. As she sat her up to burp her, Frankie told Bella how she'd teach her throat punches and all the other moves she would need to learn to protect herself.

When Bella finished nursing, Frankie and Will switched babies as it was Ayden's turn to nurse.

Frankie again was amazed at how much he looked like Will. Both babies had Will's eyes, which she had hoped for, but Ayden had his dad's lips too.

"Mommy's going to have to threaten a lot of little girls over your handsome face.", Frankie whispered to him.

Will could feel Bella's little heartbeat as she lay sleeping on his chest. Tears streamed down his face.

"Hi my little princess. Your name fits you perfectly, beautiful like mommy. The boys will certainly be chasing you but don't worry, daddy has a lot of guns and will run them off!" Will said, smiling at Bella.

From that moment on, she had him wrapped around her little fingers.

That night, Will didn't sleep at all. He watched the babies as Frankie slept in between feedings. Will had pulled the rocking chairs in from the back porch and cleaned them off so they could use them in the bedroom to rock the babies. As he sat in one watching Frankie and the babies sleep, he stared in awe of his beautiful family.

The next morning, both babies woke up early, ready to nurse. Will took Bella and rocked her, while Frankie took Ayden. They both sat up in the rocking chairs so they could talk while the babies nursed.

"You look pretty sexy holding our little girl, Whiskey.", Frankie said smiling at Will.

"And you look absolutely stunning in that nightgown, nursing our son., Will replied back.

Frankie, her heart about to burst with love and happiness, a feeling she hadn't thought would be possible to ever feel, looked at Will. She smiled as she looked back down at Ayden and then over at Bella.

"You know what, Whiskey?", Frankie said

"What's that?", Will asked.

Frankie, looking directly at Will, said, "I could stand to have a few more of these around."

"Me too, Frankie. Me too.", Will replied, reaching over to kiss Frankie.

Just as they broke from their kiss, they both heard the slamming of car doors. Instinctively, they both put the babies in the make-shift bassinets and grabbed their guns.

"You stay here with the babies, I'm going to go check it out.", Will whispered to Frankie.

"Will, please be careful.", Frankie said as she kissed him before he walked out of the room.

Will peered through the window and saw a van he didn't recognize. Just as he moved around past the window in a way so he couldn't be seen through it, he was startled by a knock at the door. Approaching from the side with caution, he heard another knock. Shortly after, he heard a voice he recognized.

"Will? Frankie? Are you guys in there?", he heard Susan say.

Will, still unsure of what was going on, opened the door cautiously, gun still drawn.

"Susan? What are you doing here?", Will asked as he saw Ray and Jai on either side of her.

"Where's Frankie? You guys have to leave NOW!", Susan said in a panic.

"What's going on, Susan?" Will asked.

"We got information that Ollerman knows where you guys are at. Apparently, he is planning to kidnap Frankie before she gives birth and then take the babies. Will, according to our intel they are more than likely on their way now. We have maybe a two hour head start on them. We need to get you guys out of here. We've been trying to reach you since yesterday." Susan explained.

"We didn't have any phone service. I tried and tried to call out for an ambulance but didn't have a signal." Will said.

"An ambulance? What happened?" Susan asked.

Will grinned from ear to ear. "Come here, I want to show you something." he said as he led them to the bedroom.

At the door, he peered his head in to see Frankie standing there pointing her gun in his direction. As soon as she saw it was Will, she lowered her pistol.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yes. Susan, Ray, and Jai are here. We need to leave asap. But first I want them to meet Bella and Ayden.", Will explained to Frankie.

Frankie smiled and went to pick up Bella as Will cradled Ayden while the three members of their team came into the room.

"Oh my gosh..Frankie...what?...when?" Susan asked all at once.

"Last night I went into labor and we couldn't call for help. I'd like you to meet Bella.", Frankie said proudly.

"And this little guy is Ayden." Will chimed in.

"Guys they're beautiful! Congratulations!" Susan said, smiling as Frankie let her hold Bella.

"Bro, congratulations!", Ray said, patting Will on the back. "He looks just like you, man."

Jai walked over to Frankie and gave her a hug.

"I'm so happy for you Francesca." he said, holding back tears.

"Thanks, Uncle Jai. Do you want to hold Ayden, or the _real_ little Will?", Frankie said smiling.

"Can I?", Jai asked, looking at Will.

"Sure, just watch his head.", Will said as he handed Ayden over to Jai.

"Wow. They have that new baby smell too. It really is a thing.", Jai said.

"Actually, it's lemon verbena. I had to use my body wash when I cleaned them up.", Will said proudly

"Oh, nice." Jai said, raising his eyebrows.

Frankie laughed and shook her head as she walked back towards Susan.

"I want to stand here and hold her forever but we really need to get you guys out of here, even more so now." Susan said nervously.

Will explained the situation to Frankie. She grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom as Will packed the rest of their things.

When he was finished packing, Jai gave Ayden back to Will.

"It's a good thing we were pretty much packed up already." Will said, handing the bags off to Ray and Jai to put in the van.

When Frankie came out of the bathroom, she had a scared look on her face.

"What's the matter?", Will asked.

"The babies. We don't have anything for them. No clothes, no car seats, no diapers. Nothing.", Frankie said in a panic.

Will walked over to comfort her.

"Frankie, it's ok. There's a Target not too far from here. We'll stop on the way and I'll run in and get the basics to get us home. In the meantime, I left two of my t-shirts out that we can wrap them in and then wrap them each in a thick towel. You and I will keep them on our chest and buckle up in the car. It's not ideal, but it's the best we've got until we get to the store.", Will explained.

"Ok, Will. I trust you. But let me just say this. When we find Ollerman, and we will, _please_ do not stop me from putting a bullet in that smug face of his, like I wanted to back at the Hive. After everything he's done, and now putting us in this situation, having to leave unprepared, already putting our kids in danger...I _owe_ him that!" Frankie said, her face turning red in anger.

"Tell you what, not only will I let you shoot him, I'll make you another necklace from the bullet that takes him out.", Will said, hugging Frankie to calm her down.

Frankie, looking up at Will as they embraced, said, "That's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me. I love you so much!", as she reached up to kiss him.

Jai and Ray walked back in just in time to hear what Frankie said.

"Yep, she still scares the crap out of me.", Ray said to Susan and Jai.

Susan laughed as Jai looked at Ray and said with a straight face, "And now she's a mom. Be afraid, Ray. Be _very_ afraid!"

"Ok, let's get going. As soon as we get back home, we need to go straight to the hospital to get Frankie and the babies checked out. Jai, I'm going to need you and Standish to make sure no one knows what hospital we're at. I'm going to make a call to a few guys I trust to get extra security. I don't want to take any chances when it comes to Ollerman.", Will said.

Will and Frankie each carried a baby and rode in the van with Ray and Susan. Jai followed in Will and Frankie's car as they headed back home, watching their backs the entire time.


	11. Chapter 11

Will called Frankie's doctor and explained the situation. By the time they reached the hospital, the doctor had a secured team waiting to assess Frankie and the babies. Will's security guys blended in so well with the hospital personnel, even the Whiskey team couldn't tell they were security.

At the hospital, the doctor personally escorted them up to a private room, as they knew anyone working for Ollerman would first look in the maternity ward. Once settled in, the doctor informed Will and Frankie that she needed to take the babies just long enough to do a thorough exam and some standard tests that she couldn't do in the room. Frankie immediately protested.

"I go wherever they go. No exceptions!" Frankie demanded.

"I understand Mrs. Chase but we also need to examine you, do blood work, and make sure you're ok before you are up and walking around everywhere." said the doctor.

"I'm fine. See? I even walked in here, until you all insisted I sit in the wheelchair.", Frankie said while standing up and turning around in a circle.

"Frankie, I'll go with the babies. I'll take Jai and Ray with me and Susan can stay with you. As soon as they are done with your exam, you can join us if we're not back before then, ok? But please, just let them make sure you're ok too. Ayden and Bella need you as healthy as possible, and so do I.", Will pleaded with Frankie.

"Will you have to promise me you won't take your eyes off of them, even for one minute.", Frankie said in a panic.

"Wouldn't dream of it.", Will said as he kissed Frankie before leaving with the babies.

"Ok, girl, other than the obvious situation with Ollerman, what's up with you?", Susan asked Frankie.

"What do you mean what's wrong with me? I just want to make sure my children are safe.", Frankie snapped back sarcastically.

"Frankie, you know Will would die a thousand deaths before he ever let anyone even get near those babies, much less hurt them. So why did you act like he was just going to leave them by themselves?", Susan inquired.

Frankie took a deep breath then answered.

"I don't know Susan. It's like, since the moment I saw them, all I want to do is protect them. I'm so scared of losing the best thing that's ever happened to me, besides Will of course, that it's like this crippling panic anytime I'm more than a few feet from them. You're the profiler. What the hell is wrong with me?" Frankie said, crying.

"Aww, sweetie.", Susan said while hugging Frankie. "There's nothing wrong with you. It's called motherhood. I hate to break it to you but that feeling's not going away. You will always be worried about them. But you can manage your feelings by trusting Will and having faith that the two of you together will make the best decisions for your family."

Frankie, wiping her tears, replied, "I guess you're right. It's just...this Ollerman thing has me on edge."

"That's understandable. But Frankie remember, Ollerman won't be around forever. We will find him and I hope you're the first one to run up on him. After all he's done to our team, I can't wait for you to unleash your crazy on him!", Susan said laughing, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, I'm getting another necklace from Will, believe me. But first, Jai and I will interrogate him. It will be fun.", Frankie said, smiling at the thought.

"Girl, your fun terrifies me.", Susan said, still laughing.

Frankie hugged Susan and said, "Susan, thank you. Thank you for being my best friend and always talking me down off the ledge. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"We're family. That's what families do - they take care of each other.", Susan said.

"Now you just sound like Will throwing the 'f' word around like that.", Frankie said sarcastically, smiling at Susan.

The nurse came in to draw blood as Susan and Frankie continued to talk. As tough as Frankie was, she nearly passed out at the sight of the needle. She hated hospitals. They felt so confining and there were way too many people trying to tell her what she could and couldn't do. Susan cringed each time someone came in the room to do something or give Frankie direction. She did her best to keep Frankie in check, knowing that, if she didn't, that person would likely leave the room in the same wheelchair that brought Frankie to the room.

After what seemed like eternity, Will and the guys returned with the babies, much to Frankie's relief.

"Are they ok?" Frankie asked Will nervously.

"They're perfect. The doctor just wants to keep them here a couple of days to make sure they stay that way. I know you don't like that idea anymore than me but trust me, we've got this place covered.", Will said, hugging Frankie to reassure her.

The babies started crying as it was time for their feeding. Susan looked at Jai and Ray.

"Ok, guys, let's go grab something to eat and give them some privacy. We'll see you guys in little while.", Susan said heading for the door.

"Hey Susan, where's Standish?", Will asked.

Jai chimed in, "He was double checking all the security measures we put in place. He should be here soon."

"Ok, great. Thanks again you guys." Will said as they left.

Will handed Bella to Frankie for her feeding and rocked Ayden in the chair next to Frankie's bed.

"I called my parents and Erin to tell them the good news. They're on their way now and should be here tomorrow. I also called Kelly. She was shocked but glad we're ok. She's going to try to make it this evening." Will said.

"Thank you, Will. I can't wait for all of them to see Bella and Ayden. I just really wish we were home. I'm not going to be able to relax until Ollerman is dead." Frankie said.

"Frankie, it's ok. Don't let him steal our joy because then he wins. We will get him but right now it's about you, me, Bella, and Ayden. _Our_ family.", Will said, leaning over to kiss Frankie.

"That 'f' word is growing on me.", Frankie said laughing.

Just then, the door to the room opened up and in walked Standish.

"Hey mom and dad, where are my little brother and sis- Oh my bad, I'm so sorry!", Standish said while covering his face as he realized he walked in on Frankie nursing.

"Sorry. Sorry. I-uh. I really wish I could un-see that. So awkward. I'll just come back." He said, keeping his face covered as he walked backwards out of the room.

Frankie and Will laughed at the look on Standish's face as Will got up and walked towards Standish.

"Hold on, Standish. It's ok. You can meet Ayden while Bella finishes nursing." Will said.

Frankie put her nursing cover on while saying across the room, "Yeah Standish. What happened to that 'ladies' man' you're always bragging to Susan about? I would have thought a ladies' man would have seen a lot of breasts during all of his conquests."

Frankie smiled as she was doing her best to make Standish more uncomfortable.

"Ugh. Could you just stop talking about breasts. This is weird. You guys are like my parents and this is as uncomfortable as if I walked in on you two - you know...", Standish said, still not looking up.

"Walked in on us doing what?", Will said laughing.

"I hate both of you." Standish said firmly, while Frankie and Will laughed in the background.

"It's like making your teenage kid blush", Will said, smiling at Frankie.

"I know, never gets old.", she said, still laughing.

"Ok, ok, Standish, all kidding aside, I would like you to meet Ayden.", Will said, handing Ayden to Standish.

"Aww, Will he has your eyes and lips!" Standish exclaimed.

"Hey Standish, you can come on over here now. The coast is clear.", Frankie said smiling.

Standish sat in the chair next to Frankie's bed, still holding Ayden. Frankie held Bella so Standish could see her.

"This is Bella. Bella, can you say hi to your teenage brother Standish?", Frankie said laughing.

"That's right, you guys. Technically, I'm your adopted older brother but you can call me Uncle Standish. Don't worry, I broke mom and dad in for you. I'll teach you all you need to know about technology and I've even set up your college accounts." Standish said to the babies.

"Plus I can hack into any streaming service you want to watch your favorite cartoons." Standish whispered to Bella and Ayden.

Standish looked up at Frankie and Will, who was now on the other side of Frankie.

"You guys, they are so cute. Bella has Will's eyes too. But thank God she looks like Frankie." Standish quipped.

Just then, Ayden started crying.

"He's hungry." Frankie said to Standish.

"Then that's my cue to leave. I'll come back later with the rest of the team. I love you guys." Standish said to Will and Frankie, then whispered "and you guys too!" to the babies.

Will took Bella and Standish gave Ayden to Frankie.

"We love you too, son!" Will joked once more as Standish headed out.

As Frankie nursed Ayden, Will held Bella against his chest and rocked her to sleep.

"I could stay like this forever, Frankie." Will said, rubbing Bella's back.

"I know, me too." Frankie replied as she ran her finger gently across Ayden's little cheek. "They're so perfect, Will. This is better than I ever could have imagined. I just wish my parents could see them."

Will saw the tears rolling down Frankie's face. It broke his heart to see her crying and he said the only thing he could think of to ease her pain.

"Frankie, they can see them. They're here with us. Maybe not physically but I believe they've always watched over you and now they'll watch over all of us." Will said, reaching for Frankie's hand and squeezing it, so he didn't disturb the babies.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better, Will. I love you so much!" Frankie said as she squeezed his hand.

"I love you too Frankie. I promise I'll do anything I can to prevent you from hurting like that ever again." Will said.

Frankie replied, "And that's what I love most about you."

A short time later, there was a knock at the door. Will put Bella in the bassinet and opened the door to see Kelly and Tommy standing outside.

"Hey you! Where are my grandkids?" Kelly asked.

"Hey Kelly! Hey Tommy! Come on in and meet Ayden and Bella." Will said.

Kelly walked over to Frankie and she and Tommy both gave her a hug.

"Hey kiddo!", Frankie said to Tommy.

"Hey Frankie. Which one is that?" Tommy asked, pointing to Ayden who was asleep on Frankie's chest.

Frankie replied, "This is William Ayden Chase. We call him Ayden, or little Will. Sleeping over there is Bella Leigh Chase."

"You gave her your middle name. Your parents would love that." Kelly said to Frankie.

"I'd like to think so. You want to hold Ayden?" Frankie asked.

"Absolutely!" Kelly said. As she looked down at Ayden, Kelly said to Frankie, "He's got the human Care Bear's eyes and lips."

Will brought Bella around and helped Tommy sit in the chair and hold her.

"What do you think?" Will asked Tommy.

"She smells funny but I like her.", he said smiling as everyone else laughed.

"You did good kiddo." Kelly said to Frankie.

"You were right, Kelly. Opening my heart to Will and having the twins, it's the best feeling ever. It's scary but so worth it. I can't describe the love I feel inside. It's like nothing I've ever thought was possible.", Frankie said, causing her to cry again.

"These damn hormones. I can't stop crying!" Frankie laughed.

Kelly, crying and laughing too, said to Frankie, "I'm so glad to have you back in my life. I love that I got to experience this with you. I know it's not the same as having your parents here but I will be here, just as they would have, to help with these beautiful grandchildren."

Kelly and Tommy both stayed for a while longer and took turns holding the babies.

"Well, we're going to go and give you guys some time to rest. We'll come see you again once you're home. In the mean time, if you need anything at all, just let me know, ok? I love you Frankie, and you too Papa Bear." Kelly said as she stood up to leave.

"We love you guys too.", Frankie said.

Will and Frankie hugged Kelly and Tommy goodbye and Will walked them to the door. Once they left, Will could see Frankie was exhausted.

He went up to Frankie and brushed the hair out of her eyes as he said, "Hey, try and get some sleep. The babies are fine in their bassinets. I'll stay up and watch them. Rest while you can, ok?"

Frankie didn't argue. "Ok, thank you.", she said as she reached up to give Will a kiss.

The next morning the team came back and visited with Will, Frankie, and the babies in intervals as they walked around the hospital and kept an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. When Will's parents and Erin arrived, Will was getting some much needed sleep as Frankie sat up with the babies. Laurie was the first to poke her head in the room.

"Is it ok to come in?", Laurie said to Frankie.

"Hi! Yes, of course, come in. We have two little ones we'd like you to meet.", Frankie said.

Laurie practically ran over to the bassinets and squealed in excitement, with Richard right behind her.

Erin noticed Will still sleeping and, not wanting to miss an opportunity to give him a hard time, walked toward him first.

"What's up with Sleeping Beauty over there?", Erin asked, pointing to Will who was oblivious that anyone had come in the room.

"He was up all night watching the babies so I could get some sleep. I was letting him get some rest.", Frankie explained.

Erin walked over to Will and got right in his face. As she grabbed one of his eyelids and opened it she said, "Yo! Wakey Wakey little brother!"

Will jumped up disoriented and ready to fight. Erin started laughing.

"Not much of a spy are you? I mean, mom comes in so excited in a voice only dogs can hear and you're over here still snoring! Pathetic." Erin said, giving Will a hard time.

"Nice to see you too, sis." Will said, giving Erin a hug.

Frankie loved to see Erin give Will such a hard time. It was one of the ways Erin reminded her of herself and it never got old. Frankie laughed as Erin came over and gave her a hug.

After greeting his parents, Will picked up Bella as Frankie held Ayden.

Will took the lead and said "Guys, I'd like you to meet our little girl, Bella Leigh Chase, and our little boy, William Ayden Chase."

Laurie was in tears as she held Bella while Richard held Ayden.

"Oh my gosh, they are beautiful! I can't believe they're finally here! So precious. Frankie, how are you feeling, honey?" Laurie asked.

"I'm good. Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they are here, but I wouldn't change it for the world." Frankie said

"Well, if the babies you two make are this beautiful, I expect a few more in the future!", Laurie said looking at Will.

"Mom, seriously?" Will said embarrassed.

"It's ok, mom. We've decided we won't stop at two but haven't discussed a final number.", Frankie replied, raising an eyebrow and smiling at Will.

"Glad to hear it.", Laurie said, cooing and talking baby-talk to Bella.

Richard looked at Will and told him how proud he was of him.

"It's the best feeling in the world, isn't it, son?" Richard asked.

"Better than I ever could have imagined, dad.", Will replied.

"When you two are done with your Hallmark moment, do you think I could have a turn to hold my nephew?", Erin interrupted.

"Sure. Here you go, honey.", Richard said, handing Ayden over to Erin.

Erin looked down at Ayden and couldn't help but tear up. She was happy for Will and Frankie but losing her own baby was still a raw feeling and while holding Ayden she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to hold her own child. Would it have been a boy? A girl? Would they have looked like her or Jacob? All these questions and emotions ran through her mind as she walked around. Frankie, noticing Erin's face, walked up to her, their backs turned to everyone else.

"Erin, are you ok?" Frankie asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking how lucky he is to look like you, even if he did crap out and get Will's eyes and lips", Erin said, trying to make a joke through her tears.

"It's ok, Erin. You don't have to put up that wall with me. I know this has to be hard. I'm sorry this is bringing up painful memories. I went through a similar situation when I first met your parents. I cried quite a bit thinking of mine that week.", Frankie said, putting her arm around Erin.

"Thanks Frankie. I'm not going to lie, it does hurt. But you know what? At the same time, holding him, I feel so protective over him and Bella. I know they belong to you guys but...I don't know, I can't explain it, I just always want them to be safe and protect them like I couldn't protect my baby.", Erin said through her tears.

"You're their aunt, their family. They will always need you, Erin. Just like we do." Frankie said.

"OMG! Did I just use the 'f' word to make someone feel better? I have totally turned into Will! When the hell did that happen?" Frankie said to herself in disbelief.

Erin, picking up on it to and realizing things were getting a little too emotional, even for Frankie, said, "You sound like my brother now. I really need to take you to the gun range and help you get that out of your system."

"Oh God, would you please?" Frankie replied, smiling in relief.

As they walked back towards the others, Laurie and Erin switched babies.

Erin walked over to Will.

"You ok?" Will asked.

"Yeah, I'm just looking at her thinking how lucky she is that she looks like her mama.", Erin said, smiling at Will.

"For once, I won't argue with you." Will said laughing.

"Hey brother, in all seriousness, what's going on? I noticed a couple of guys outside that are dressed like they work here but their haircuts say they don't. Does that have anything to do with you guys and that Ollerman guy you told me about?", Erin asked.

"Yes, but listen. Don't say anything to mom or dad. He was trying to kidnap Frankie and hold her hostage until she went into labor and then take the babies. We're not sure if he knows they've arrived but he has ears and eyes everywhere so we're just being extra cautious.", Will whispered.

"Roger that. Will - I want in. I want to help. Can you get me clearance to work with you?", Erin asked.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Will asked.

"Look, since you guys left I've been back on my training routine. I'm ok. I want to protect them the way I couldn't protect my own. I know you're concerned about my mental state but trust me, I'm ok and helping with this will give me a purpose, something I haven't had in a long time." Erin explained.

"Ok, I'll see what I can do." Will said smiling at the thought that the sister he knew was back.

Laurie gave Ayden to Will as she reached in her bag and took out two quilts. They looked very similar to the quilt she made for Frankie, but smaller. One was predominately blue, the other pink. She handed them to Frankie.

"I made these for the babies. I didn't finish them until I found out what you guys were having so I'd know what colors to use. I hope you like them. Thank you for giving me such gorgeous grandbabies." Laurie said crying while hugging Frankie.

"I'm just saying I had something to do with it too, mom.", Will chimed in.

"I know honey but she did all the work." Laurie said, not missing a beat or even looking at Will.

Frankie looked at each quilt closely, just as she had done her own. The tears started to form in her eyes again as she looked up to thank Laurie.

"These are beautiful. I can't thank you enough. Not just for the quilts but for all the love you've given me and how you all have made me feel so welcome. It's foreign territory for me, but I appreciate it." Frankie said through her tears.

"We love you, Frankie." Laurie said

"I love you guys too.", Frankie replied, damning her hormones once again for getting so emotional.

"Well, we're going to let you all get some rest and go get settled in our hotel room. We'll be back for another visit soon. I've got to get in as much time as possible with these cuties while I'm here.", Laurie said.

After Richard, Laurie, and Erin left, Will sat next to Frankie, thinking about the conversation he'd had with Erin.

"Hey Frankie, Erin asked if I could get her clearance to help us catch Ollerman. You've talked to her more than the rest of us. Do you think that's a good idea?", Will asked.

"Actually, I was going to talk to you about her. I think she's doing better but she's always going to have that pain, Will. You don't ever get over that. But, what if we hired her as our nanny? I mean, it will be a while before I go back full time but with Erin we can trust her to be around not only the babies but the team. After what happened with Tina, I don't want to take any chances with outsiders. Erin would be a perfect fit. She'd do anything to protect Ayden and Bella, she's got combat training like us, and we don't have to worry about her telling anyone what she hears around the team.", Frankie explained.

"You know what? That's actually a great idea. It also may help to get her clearance if that's the reason she's around all the time. I'll call the director in the morning.", Will said.

Just as they finished their conversation, the doctor came in to check on Frankie and the babies.

"I came to let you all know that everyone's final tests came back normal so, as far as I'm concerned, you all are free to get discharged to go home if you'd like.", the doctor said with a smile.

"Finally!", Frankie exclaimed.

"I thought you'd be ok with that. I'll go get your discharge orders put in." said the doctor.

It took Frankie all of five minutes to get dressed. She got the babies' things packed as Will coordinated their departure with the security team. Not long after, they were headed home.

Once they arrived home, Will and Frankie got the babies settled in their room, got a shower, and decided to kick back on the couch. Frankie curled up into Will. He wrapped his arms around her like a security blanket. When she was with Will she always felt safe, like she could truly relax and let her guard down.

"It's so good to finally be home." Frankie sighed.

"I know. What an amazing week." Will said, reaching down to kiss Frankie.

"Tomorrow I've got to make a trip to the Dead Drop to pick up some files I need to review on the Trust. I'm thinking about asking Erin to go with me so I can talk to her about what we discussed earlier. We won't be gone long and mom and dad would be here to help you. Plus, I've still got extra security watching our place. Would you be ok with that?" Will asked Frankie.

"Absolutely. Will, I can shoot my gun now and believe me when I say, if you thought I was scary before I had Ayden and Bella, then the thought of me now that the babies are here should terrify you." Frankie said smiling.

"That's disturbing in so many ways but kind of sexy too.", Will said, leaning in for another kiss.

"You are such a sexy dork!", Frankie said laughing and kissing Will back.

Before they could finish the kiss, they could hear the cries of one of the babies through the baby monitor.

"Wow. Already interrupting our kisses. Ray must have talked to them." Will said jokingly.

"I know he's married to Susan and you guys are good now but I still think I should shoot him.", Frankie said half-joking, as they got up to tend to the babies.

The next day, Erin and Will headed to the Dead Drop to retrieve the files on the Trust. Will had gotten clearance for Erin from the director earlier that morning so Will proceeded to ask if she would be interested in the job he and Frankie discussed. Erin jumped at the opportunity and was excited to get started, even though they wouldn't officially need her for several more weeks. Will decided to let her help review the Intel, hoping a set of fresh eyes may uncover clues they previously might have missed.

Jai and Standish were working when Will and Erin arrived at the Dead Drop. After giving Erin a tour of the place, Will ran upstairs to his office.

Standish pointed to a set of files on the bar.

"Hey Erin, can you let Will know these are the files for him to review. We haven't had a chance to look at them yet but tell Will we will when he's finished with them. I'm heading to the lair to help Jai with some things." Standish explained.

"Sure, no problem, I'll tell him.", Erin replied.

After Standish left, Erin looked at the stack of manila folders on the bar. She picked them up to straighten them when one of the labels caught her eye.

"Afghanistan, RPG attack on escort, offshore accounts", the label read.

Erin quickly realized these weren't the official Top Secret files of the case but many did have sensitive and classified information. She couldn't contain her curiosity at the familiar sound of the situation written on the label. Against her better judgment, she looked through the file. After quickly reviewing the file, the information she uncovered left her nauseated and light-headed. This was the attack that killed Jacob and our child! Over some damn offshore accounts?, Erin said to herself in disbelief. When she heard Will say he'd be down in a minute, she hastily hid the file in her bag to read it later.

When Will finally came downstairs, she relayed Standish's message.

"Ok, great, thanks. I'll take these with us. These files are all the attacks Ollerman has orchestrated or tried to pull off in order to advance the cause of the Trust.", Will explained.

It was all Erin could do to contain her anger. She knew she had to keep her emotions in check, as her face always turned red when she was mad. She couldn't let on what she'd just discovered: Ollerman was behind the attack on her unit.

"That bastard is the one that killed Jacob, our child, our friends, and nearly me!", she thought to herself.

Erin decided right away that she couldn't tell Will about this connection. Yes, it was lying and he would be mad. Hopefully he'd one day forgive her but she knew if she confided in Will he would just talk her out of her plan.

She would find Ollerman but he wouldn't be brought to justice, at least not in the constitutional sense. He would die. A slow, painful death. He will suffer, she thought, just as I have these past few years.

Erin knew how important the hunt for Ollerman was before she entered the Dead Drop with Will.

"But now", she said to herself, "it's personal".


	12. Chapter 12

Six weeks later, Will, Frankie, and the babies were settled into a routine at home. Will was going to the Dead Drop when necessary but worked from home as much as possible to spend time with his family. He and Frankie would also take the twins with them to the Dead Drop, depending on what Will needed to do and to keep Frankie up to date with what was going on with the team. Frankie still had a couple of weeks before she would be returning from maternity leave and Erin would return to start nanny duties.

Frankie was sitting on the couch holding Ayden. She cradled his head in both hands as she laid his back on her lap.

"Hey mama's little man. Can you give me a smile? Come on. Let me see that handsome smile.", Frankie said to him in a baby voice.

Ayden smiled as he looked up at Frankie. She continued to gently tickle his belly and kiss him on his little cheek to get him to keeping smiling.

"There it is. There's that smile. You are so handsome. Yes you are.", Frankie continued.

"He must get it from his dad.", Will said as he came in the front door.

"Hey! Look Ayden, daddy's home. Let's show him that smile.", Frankie said as Will came over and sat next to them.

"Is Bella sleeping?", Will asked Frankie as he gave her a kiss.

"Yes. They were both down after their feeding but this little guy decided he didn't want to miss anything and wouldn't go back to sleep when he woke up so we're having some mommy and Ayden time, aren't we? Yes we are.", Frankie said, her focus totally on Ayden.

Ayden smiled at Frankie again.

"Look at that! You're going to break a lot of hearts with that smile, son.", Will said.

Ayden grabbed Will's little finger and wrapped his little hand around it.

"And what a grip! You're so strong. That will come in handy in scouts!, Will said, smiling back at Ayden.

"How are things at the bar?", Frankie asked, still playing with Ayden.

"Ok. Everything's going according to plan. I think having Ray send in another team for a while threw Ollerman for a loop. But I don't want to talk about him right now. I just want to enjoy being here with you three.", Will said, brushing Frankie's hair back out of her face.

"That's the best thing daddy's said all day, isn't Ayden?", Frankie said, still laughing each time Ayden smiled at her.

Just then, a small cry came across the baby monitor.

"Sounds like your sister is awake. I'll go get her, you keep playing with mommy.", Will said to Ayden.

As Will entered the nursery, he picked Bella up and laid her over his shoulder, rubbing her back.

"Hey my little princess. It's ok. Daddy's here. Oh wow, let's get that diaper changed.", Will said holding his breath.

As he opened the diaper to change it, Will gagged.

"Oh my gosh Bella. How can something so small and beautiful produce something so disgusting?", he said in a gentle voice, still gagging.

Frankie, who could hear the whole conversation on the monitor, couldn't help but laugh at the sound of Will gagging.

After Will changed Bella's diaper, he put her back over his shoulder as he sat down in the rocking chair.

Just like Frankie, Will laid Bella on his lap so he could talk to her. Will made sure to have a conversation with Bella and Ayden as soon as he got home every day.

"So, were you and Ayden good for mommy today? What did you guys do while I was gone?", Will said in a gentle voice.

Bella grabbed Will's index fingers with her hands, just as Ayden had done. She stared at Will as he continued to talk to her and Will was convinced she knew just what he was saying.

"You've got quite a grip too. I bet you'll be as strong as your mama. You know, your mommy is the strongest woman I know. Yep, she's pretty awesome.", Will said with his eyes open wide looking at Bella.

Bella smiled at him as he made facial gestures at her. Will couldn't get enough of seeing her smile back at him. Each time she smiled, it reminded him of Frankie, as Bella had her smile.

"Why don't we go see what your brother and mommy are up to? Then tonight I'll read you and Ayden a bedtime story, just like I used to do when you were both in mommy's tummy. How does that sound? I love you, my little princess.", Will said as he kissed Bella on her tiny cheek.

Bella smiled and cooed looking back at Will. From the moment he first saw her, he knew she had him wrapped around her finger. It was like she had her own little charm virus and Will was infected at first sight.

Will brought Bella back into the living room and sat next to Frankie and Ayden. Frankie leaned over and planted a deep kiss on Will.

"Wow, what was that for?" Will asked

"For being you. You are the best father and husband anyone could ask for. I don't deserve you but I'm forever grateful to have you. I love you, Will.", Frankie said smiling at Will.

"Is this because I changed Bella's dirty diaper because, if you had seen it for yourself, you'd know it was definitely worth more than a kiss.", Will said, laughing.

Frankie laughed as she thought back to hearing him gag. "You're not the only one that's gotten one of those. But, when the time comes, how about we thank each other?", she said seductively.

"I love the way you think, Mrs. Chase.", Will replied, trying to kiss Frankie.

Just as he leaned in for the kiss, Bella started crying, followed by Ayden.

"Well that was fun while it lasted. I need to feed these two. Can you start dinner while I feed them and then we can give them a bath together?", Frankie asked Will.

"Sure thing.", Will said, putting Bella in the baby swing.

After both babies were fed and they finished dinner, Frankie and Will headed to the bathroom to give the babies a bath. They each had a baby in a baby tub, sitting side by side. Frankie was bathing Bella while Will bathed Ayden. Frankie's heart nearly beat out of her chest from the overflow of emotion she felt in that moment. Two years ago she was planning to kill this man, the man that had become the love of her life and the father of her children that she'd always wished for but never thought she'd have. She had given up on love and emotional attachments. But then he came along and refused to give up on her. It was so annoying. His honesty and sincerity were like nothing she'd ever experienced and eventually those same qualities tore down her defenses. He had infected her with his charm virus, no doubt. What scared her most is that she didn't want to be cured. She loves this man. She's in love with this man. The thought of being apart for even a few hours hurts her soul. And now, they had two beautiful children, made from that love, the love she never wanted to lose. As these thoughts came rushing to her mind, tears formed in her eyes and fell into the bath water below. She tried to wipe them away before Will noticed, with no luck.

"Hey, are you ok?", Will asked, looking over at Frankie.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking. Will, I know I've never been good at expressing my feelings but I need you to know that I know how lucky I am to have you and the twins in my life and I don't take that for granted. I love you all more than anything.", Frankie confessed.

"I know you do Frankie. And we love you too.", Will said, smiling at Frankie and taking his eyes off Ayden for a brief moment.

It only took a second for Ayden to get Will's attention and lighten the mood. Just as Will had turned to smile at Frankie, Ayden was kind enough to create his own fountain in Will's direction.

"Really, son!?" Will said, as urine sprayed across his chest.

Ayden smiled at Will as Will tried to contain the waterworks.

Frankie couldn't hold her laughter. "You have to admit, the kid's got good aim!", she said shrugging her shoulders and still laughing.

"Yeah, and you set me up to be right in the line of fire. Did you guys plan this ambush?", Will said, looking at Frankie, then smiling back at Ayden.

"No but good job, little man.", Frankie said, leaning over towards Ayden, who was still laughing.

Frankie and Will finished bathing the babies and got them dressed for bed. They sat in the rocking chairs, rocking the babies as Will read them a story like he promised. By the time he had finished the story, both Ayden and Bella were asleep. They laid the babies in their cribs and headed out to the living room.

"Frankie, I've been thinking. Maybe it's time we start looking for a house. I mean, Erin will be starting soon and before you know it the kids will be crawling and then walking everywhere. I want to have a backyard for them to play in. What do you think?", Will asked.

"I've been thinking about that too and I agree. We're going to need more room soon. I'd rather find a place and get moved in before they get too much older. We need a big backyard. Oh, and don't forget the pond!", Frankie said smiling.

"Minus the stranger in the bathtub.", Will replied.

"But if there's no stranger in the bathtub, I won't have a reason to put on that sexy nightgown before you come home from work.", Frankie whispered into Will's ear as she kissed his neck.

"Ok, pond it is!", Will replied before pulling Frankie onto his lap and kissing her deeply.

"Hey, Will? Remember earlier when I mentioned thanking each other?", Frankie said, in between kisses.

"Um-hmm", Will said without interrupting the contact of their lips.

"I think now's a good time for that!", Frankie said as she got up and led him to their bedroom.

The next morning, Will and Frankie took the babies with them to The Dead Drop. Frankie planned to look at some houses online while Will finished up some paperwork in his office. When they arrived, Jai and Standish were working on computers in one of the booths. Susan and Ray were hanging out at the bar. As soon as Susan saw they had the babies with them, she ran over to Frankie, while Will headed to his office upstairs.

"Ohhh...let me see my little godchildren!", Susan said as she reached down to look at both of them. Bella started to whimper so Susan picked her up.

"I know it's not been that long since we've seen them but they are growing like a weed.", Susan said to Frankie.

"I know. I can't believe they're almost two months old already. Will and I have decided to look for a house so we can get settled in before they get any older.", Frankie said.

"Good idea. Do what you need to do, take your time, I've got Bella.", Susan said while smiling down at Bella and heading back to the bar towards Ray.

Jai and Standish had also walked over to see the twins and Standish decided to take Ayden back to the booth with him.

"C'mon little bro. I'm gonna show you how to hack into a company and download confidential information.", Standish said to Ayden.

Jai chimed in proudly, "After that I'll show you how to make an exploding coaster."

Frankie's eyes widened as she heard what Jai said. "Hey Jai", she said smiling, "If anything explodes around my son I will kill you dead, got it?"

Jai nodded to Frankie and whispered to Ayden, "Fine, we'll just make a digestible nanotracker and put it in her drink instead."

Upstairs Will was going through some old files, in an effort to see if there might be any clues they've missed regarding the Trust. He came across the file for the mission in Russia where he first met Frankie. A smile came across his face as he remembered her in that red dress. The dress that made him do a double take when he first saw her. Despite the warning of his broken heart, courtesy of Gigi, after one look into those gorgeous green eyes, he immediately fell for her. Even when he found out her true identity, he still couldn't shake his feelings, just suppress them. Sure, she was beautiful, ferocious, and could kill a man with her bare hands, but there was something about her, something different. She was like no one he'd ever met. Then she got shot. Talking to her while she was lying on the table, trying to gain her trust, was the first time he saw through her tough exterior. He could see the fear in her eyes and hear the vulnerability in her voice, both giving him hope that somewhere down the road she would let him into her heart. The path they took to get where they are today wasn't the easiest one, but Will was grateful for it. He felt it made them stronger as a couple having fought so hard together as partners. He thought his dreams had come true when they married and had the twins. What he didn't realize is how much his heart would swell each time he saw Frankie with their babies. Her tender touch coupled with the way she'd opened her heart to him, it's a deeper love than even Will knew existed. A love he never wanted to live without.

"Hey you! Watch ya thinking about?", Frankie asked as she appeared in the doorway of his office.

Will smiled as he looked up at her. "Just thinking about this agent I met in Russia. She had on the sexiest red dress. I was hooked the first moment I saw her. Too bad she wanted to kill me."

Frankie walked over and sat on Will's lap. She cupped his face in her hands as she said, "I'm so glad she changed her mind. By the way, have you thanked her for that?", then kissed him deeply.

"You know what, I don't believe I have. Let me run it by you and you tell me if you think it's a proper thank you. Just let me lock the door real quick.", Will said, kissing her back.

"One step ahead of you. I locked it behind me on the way in. The team is occupied with Bella and Ayden. So now...about that thank you...", Frankie said, as she proceeded to unbutton Will's shirt.

After properly thanking Frankie, Will and Frankie gathered themselves and headed back down to the main floor of the bar.

"You guys were up there for a while.", Susan said in a suggestive tone.

"I was showing Will some of the houses I found online that we should go take a look at.", Frankie said quickly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Oh, ok. What did you think of them Will?", Susan said, having fun with making the two of them squirm.

"A few promising choices, for sure.", Will said, playing along.

"I bet they would have looked even better if you'd had your laptop.", Susan said, pointing to Frankie's laptop, still sitting on the table where she left it before heading up to see Will.

Frankie's eyes got as big as saucers as she looked at Susan and said, "You're so annoying!"

Susan laughed and whispered to Bella, "I'll bet you'll be a big sister before you know it."

Ray, Jai, and Standish chuckled under their breath. Will, unapologetic, stood there with his resting smile face.

Frankie walked over to gather the babies things and smiled when she safely had her back turned to everyone. She wasn't sorry that they figured out what was going on upstairs. Even though she and Will are now married, she still likes to keep that tough Frankie exterior up in front of the team. She would have even knuckle-punched the guys, had they been closer and the babies not present.

"You ready, Will?" Frankie asked as she walked over to get Bella from Susan and Ray.

"Yep. Hey, thanks for watching the twins you guys.", Will said as he walked toward Jai, who was now holding Ayden.

Will added, "Oh, and feel free to use my office if you need to."

Standish and Jai both looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Uh, thanks but we're good.", Standish replied, trying not to think about what just went down in Will's office.

Will turned to Frankie and whispered as they walked out the door, "That ought to keep Standish from stealing my password and Jai from bugging us for a while."

That night, Will and Frankie sat together on the couch. Will held Bella while Frankie nursed Ayden. Frankie couldn't take her eyes off Ayden, while Will couldn't take his eyes off Frankie. She looked so beautiful sitting next to him, holding their son. Frankie looked up and noticed Will staring at her. She smiled and looked back down at Ayden, seeing Will's eyes staring back up at her.

"He looks so much like you, Will. It's like every day I notice something different about them. Don't get me wrong, I miss the job and the adrenaline rush that comes with our missions, but I'm really not looking forward to being away from them. They're growing so fast...I just don't want to miss anything.", Frankie said, not taking her eyes off Ayden.

Will was playing with Bella, who was laying on his lap. He looked over at Frankie and could see how nervous she was about leaving the babies to return to work. He knew she trusted Erin more than anyone they could have hired but he understood her reservations. Will felt the same way every time he walked out the door without Frankie and the twins in tow. He hated being away from them, even for a minute. As he played with Bella and she smiled at him with Frankie's smile and looked at him with his own eyes, he realized it may be time for them to rethink their employment.

Frankie had finished nursing Ayden and reached over to switch babies with Will. After Bella started nursing and Will was burping Ayden, he looked over again at Frankie. She had the same mesmerized look while looking down at Bella that she did with Ayden.

"Hey Frankie. I want to throw something out there for you to really think about. You don't have to give me an answer right now, just think about it. What if we retired from the CIA and FBI and started our own contract business with the agencies? We'd still save the world, we could just choose which assignments we want to take and it would give us more time here with the twins. We'd need to discuss it with the team but I hope they would make the change with us. Like I said, just think about it, ok?" Will said.

Frankie looked over at Will and smiled while saying, "I do like the thought of that. I'll think about it but I also think we should run it by the team and get their opinion on it. We would need their help to make the move."

She then looked back down at Bella and, in a gentle voice, started talking to her. "What do you think Bella? We could have more time for mommy and Bella days, go get our hair and nails done, all the girly things. How does that sound?", she said while gently rubbing the top of Bella's head, smoothing her hair down.

Just then, Ayden burped really loud. Frankie and Will both laughed.

"I think he's in agreement with it, aren't you little guy?", Will said as he laid Ayden over his shoulder and rubbed his back.

"We'll talk to the team tomorrow and run it by them. That should make our decision a little easier.", Will said.

Frankie looked over at Will and smiled.

"You know what, Whiskey? I honestly don't care what we wind up doing, as long as I can get ice cream with you.", Frankie said, leaning her head on Will's shoulder.

Will smiled at Frankie as he leaned in for a kiss and said, "For the rest of my life, I don't want to get ice cream with anyone but you either, Fiery."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Since finding out Ollerman was behind the death of Jacob and her unborn child, Erin had taken it upon herself to utilize old military friends to try and track Ollerman down herself. All she could think about was putting a bullet in him, which, of course, would come after he suffered immense pain, just as she did after losing Jacob and the baby. Erin was careful to keep her plans secret. Will would never stand by and allow her to kill Ollerman, plus she'd never want to jeopardize his career, should something go wrong. Therefore, as anxious as she was to kill him, Erin knew patience was key in making sure she eliminated him as a threat to her family once and for all.

Jacob had many friends in special forces. Erin knew a few of them and also knew if she could get just one on board to help her, the others would follow. She reached out to one, only known as Casper. Jacob once told her his friend got the name Casper because when he took someone out, they never saw him coming and afterwards he would disappear into the wind, just like a ghost. This was the exact type of person she needed to help capture Ollerman. It wasn't easy to track Casper down but once she explained he was responsible for Jacob's death and showed him the proof, he was in. He said he could assemble a team of three more guys, more than enough for this job. Erin was adamant she wanted Ollerman taken alive and once he was securely restrained at the isolated location she had set up, Casper and his team could again disappear into the wind, knowing Jacob's killer would die a slow and painful death.

* * *

The day after discussing their future, Will and Frankie asked the team to meet them at the Dead Drop for a meeting. With the babies in tow, Will and Frankie sat and talked with Jai, Standish, Susan, and Ray about their thoughts on retirement and setting up their own company, carrying out government contracts. They asked the team to not answer right away but instead to take some time and think about it. Will and Frankie also wanted to make sure they all knew they didn't want to make this move until Ollerman was dead. The team agreed to revisit the discussion within the next two weeks, at which time, everyone would give their final decisions on the move. After meeting about the potential move, they focused their attention to the hunt for Ollerman. Ray, Jai, and Standish each gave an update on the latest intel that had been gathered. The walls were definitely closing in on Ollerman. If all went as planned, they hoped to have him in their sights within a few weeks.

* * *

In the midst of the hunt for Ollerman, Will and Frankie were finally able to find a house that they both fell in love with and were anxious to get moved in. Although it didn't have the pond they joked about, the backyard was huge and beautiful, with plenty of room for Ayden and Bella to play. Inside, the house was very spacious and even had a couple of extra bedrooms for when the time came to expand the Chase family. The basement was designated as the kid's play room. Upon looking the house over, Erin enlisted Jai's help to upgrade the security features of the home. She asked Will and Frankie to give her and Jai a week to get everything properly installed. Will and Frankie hesitantly agreed. Erin went over her ideas with Jai, who took over and made the final preparations while Erin returned to her parents' house to finish her own packing. The following week, Erin returned to watch the babies while helping with last minute packing. As soon as she arrived, Erin and Jai gave Will and Frankie a tour of their newly secured home.

"So, we've installed state-of-the-art surveillance cameras around the perimeter of the property. They are so well hidden that I will have to show you exactly where they are. No outsider will be able to see them. Additionally, I've shielded your home against any electronic surveillance. Since the basement is the playroom for the twins, we also made it the safe room.", Jai explained.

As they walked into the kitchen, Jai pushed a hidden button on the kitchen island. The top lifted and side retracted down into the floor to reveal a hidden stairway.

"Whoa! Are you kidding me?", Will exclaimed.

"Pretty cool, huh? We designed this to have a shortcut way down into the safe room. This way, if we're upstairs with the twins or in the kitchen feeding them, we can get into the safe room ASAP in an emergency.", Erin explained.

"Did you design this Erin?", Frankie asked, obviously impressed.

"Well, I had the concept for it but it's Jai's ingenuity that brought it to life. He's quite an asset to your team. I love the way he thinks and the masterpieces he comes up with.", Erin gushed.

Jai smiled with pride from ear to ear. Frankie and Will looked at each other, raising their eyebrows as their eyes met. Frankie had never seen Jai smile so wide and Will had never heard Erin talk so highly about someone without a sarcastic comment inserted somewhere in the conversation. This moment would be a topic of conversation later, they both thought.

As they made their way down into the basement, Jai showed them the bulletproof panels that slid in place of the closed door and secret passageway into the basement. He also revealed a safe large enough for a small arsenal hidden behind a bookcase, complete with all the monitors for the hidden cameras. A door off to the right of the safe led to a concealed smaller safe room, designed as a backup place to hide in a last-minute situation.

Back upstairs, Jai showed Will and Frankie the locations of all of the cameras throughout the house. He even showed them how to activate the one in their bedroom remotely from their phones, as he explained it wasn't activated like the rest of the cameras for obvious reasons.

The last item Jai showed them was the small stash of food containing nanotrackers that could be kept in a couple of places in the house. One stash in the basement, one upstairs. It contained baby food and cookies, with some bottled water. Once ingested, the trackers could be activated and linked into a GPS coordinate in a matter of seconds. Will and Frankie looked at each other again in awe.

"Jai, how did you get all this done in one week?", Will asked.

"I have a crew. They are very precise and good at what they do. Plus, with the house being empty, we were able to work around the clock to get things done. We have it down to a science at this point.", Jai replied.

"I don't know what to say you guys. We can't thank you enough.", Frankie replied.

"We both care about you all and the babies very much. That's something Jai and I realized we have in common. Your safety is our number one concern. Especially until Ollerman is dealt with.", Erin responded, not wanting to seem too anxious to kill him herself.

"Thank you, both of you. And if all goes well, Ollerman won't be a factor much longer.", Will said.

"Then without further ado, here are your keys. Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Chase.", Jai said smiling.

* * *

When the time came for Will and Frankie to move in, Will's parents came and stayed to help out with the twins so Frankie and Will could get everything unpacked and settled with Erin's help. Richard and Laurie stayed in the basement, while Erin's room was right next to Will and Frankie's, with the nursery at the end of the hall next to Erin's room. Will and Frankie came into the kitchen the first morning after sleeping in their new home for the first time, to find Erin up and already on her second cup of coffee.

"Hey, good morning sis!", Will said as he reached for two coffee cups.

"Speak for yourself. I got like two hours of sleep last night thanks to you two. You know, the walls aren't as thick as you think. You guys keep that up and you'll go from Four of a Kind to a Full House in no time!", Erin said sarcastically.

Frankie, hiding her smile behind her coffee cup, offered an apology. "Sorry about that Erin."

"Oh, it's ok. I'm going to get with Jai to install a soundproof barrier in the wall and then I'll see Susan to help me wipe out the traumatic memories of the things I heard last night.", Erin said, getting up and putting her coffee cup in the sink, giving Will a disgusted look.

"If you want, we can switch rooms with you and the twins.", Will offered.

"Why would you want to subject your children through that trauma?", Erin said frankly.

"That's a little harsh don't you think?", Will replied, wrinkling his face.

"I'll get Jai to fix it. I'm just grateful he didn't activate the camera in your room. You two are gross.", Erin said as she walked out of the kitchen.

Will and Frankie looked at each other and laughed.

"I told you that you were loud, Mrs. Chase.", Will said as he wrapped his arms around Frankie's waist and brought her in for a kiss.

"Maybe. But it's your fault, Mr. Chase.", Frankie replied as she kissed Will.

"Don't let us stop you!", Laurie said smiling, as she and Richard appeared from the basement.

"Good morning to you both.", Will said, smiling back at his mom.

"So, Will and I need to go into work for a bit. I'll feed the twins before we leave but there's plenty of breast milk in the freezer. We shouldn't be gone too long. Also, Erin has some errands to run today so we may need a little more help watching them when we get back as we try to finish unpacking. Is that ok?", Frankie asked Laurie.

"Is that ok? Honey, take all the time you need. We're here to help with whatever you need. Plus, the more time I get with those grandbabies, the better!", Laurie said excitedly.

"Thanks mom. I don't know what we'd do without you both.", Frankie said as she hugged Laurie.

* * *

When Frankie and Will got to The Dead Drop, they expected to find Erin talking to Jai or Susan. When they realized she wasn't there, Will asked Jai if he had seen her.

Jai replied, "She was here earlier. We worked on a plan to sound proof the wall. By the way, Eww! After that she left, didn't say where she was going."

"Ok, thanks.", Will replied, just as Frankie walked up to him looking at her phone.

"I just got a text from Erin. Said she ran into some old friends from the military and wanted to know if we'd be ok with the twins if she hung out with them for a day or two before they left town.", Frankie said with a puzzled look on her face.

"That seems random. But, I mean, yeah, sure, mom and dad will be here for a while still so that shouldn't be a problem.", Will said, also puzzled.

Frankie sent a text back to Erin telling her "no problem".

Erin, having received Frankie's text, called Casper and simply said, "We're a go!"

* * *

With Casper's help, Erin had managed to pinpoint Ollerman's exact hideout. Casper and his team had him under surveillance for the past couple of days, waiting for the "go" from Erin to take out his security team and bring him to the remote location Erin had set up.

As soon as she hung up with Casper, Erin headed to the remote location. Casper and his team made their move. It took them all of five minutes to eliminate the security team and take Ollerman into custody. Knowing he wouldn't go willingly, they drugged him and transported him with a hood over his head. The hood insured that he wouldn't see any of Casper's team, even if he woke up before they intended him to. Once at the remote location, Ollerman was secured to a table that looked like a torture device from the Medieval time period.

Erin called Frankie, out of earshot from anyone in the warehouse.

"Hey Erin, what's up?", Frankie asked.

"Frankie, I need you to go to a room where Will can't hear me.", Erin said urgently.

"Okaayy.. Erin are you ok?, Frankie replied, which caught Will's attention.

"I'm fine but I need your help with something. I'm sending you GPS coordinates of where I'm located. Bring your gun and lots of ammo. Bring Jai too and ask him to bring some explosives. But whatever you do, please, please don't tell Will. I'll explain everything when you get here. Please, just trust me.", Erin explained.

"Erin, what's going on? I don't feel comfortable not telling Will about thi-.", Frankie started to say before she was cut off by Erin hanging up the phone.

"What's going on?" Will asked, seeing the look on Frankie's face as he found her in the next room.

"It's Erin. She wants me to meet her but she's adamant you not know or go with me, only Jai.", Frankie said in a worried tone.

"I'm coming. Call the rest of the team. I know she only wants you and Jai there but I've got a plan.", Will replied.

* * *

Erin thanked Casper and his team. Once Ollerman came to, tied up and still hooded, each member of the team took a turn gut-punching Ollerman on behalf of Jacob. The last member to go took it one step further. After taking his turn punching Ollerman, he lifted the hood to the side so only Ollerman's ear was exposed. Taking out his knife, he went up to Ollerman's ear and said, "My brother's name is the last thing you will hear in this ear. Jacob was his name. Remember it you SOB. He was more of a man in his little finger than you'll ever be!" Just as he finished his statement, he cut Ollerman's ear off.

Ollerman screamed. Erin ran up to his face and told him to scream all he wanted because no one could or would hear him and they were just getting started with the pain.

"Who are you?" Ollerman yelled, still in pain.

"We'll get to that shortly. But for now, all you need to know is I'm your worst nightmare.", Erin said furiously.

Walking over to the corner of the warehouse where they had gathered to leave, Erin again thanked the team. They asked if she wanted them to stay. She told them "no", as she had others on the way and didn't want them to stick around and be seen. With that, they disappeared into the woods as quickly as they appeared.

Once the team left, Erin walked back over to Ollerman and removed his hood.

"Who are you?", Ollerman asked again.

"My name is Erin. Erin Chase.", she replied.

"So you must be Will's sister. Wow, I never thought I'd see the day Will Chase sent his sister to do his dirty work!", Ollerman replied smugly.

"Will doesn't even know I'm here. See, you and I have unfinished business of our own. Remember the convoy in Afghanistan you had blown up with the RPG when you were trying to steal the electronics with all the information about offshore accounts that some of the insurgents had? Yeah, well, I happened to be in that convoy and so was the man that I loved. Oh and so was my unborn baby!" Erin said, scraping the side of Ollerman's cheek with her knife to draw blood.

"Well, what an unfortunate coincidence. But let me assure you, it was nothing personal. I honestly had no idea you were in that convoy.", Ollerman said, in a pleading tone.

"I'm not looking for an apology. Nope. I'm here purely for vengeance!", Erin said, as she plunged the knife into Ollerman's gut.

"Now, my brother, he may have been a little nicer. Maybe he was ok with taking you into custody. Me, not so much. Oh, and shortly there will be someone else here too who has some unfinished business with you. Seriously, how sick of a bastard are you to go after someone's kids?", Erin continued.

Ollerman, bleeding heavily from his wound, continued in his arrogant tone, "Ha. So, I can assume the ruthless assassin, Mrs. Will Chase will be joining us shortly then. I hate to tell you but your brother has changed her. She had the chance to shoot me once before. Instead, she unknowingly helped me with my escape plan."

"That won't happen again you son-of-bitch!", a voice yelled from across the warehouse.

Erin turned to see Frankie, weapon drawn and pointed at Ollerman, walking closer to them.

"Erin, what the hell? Do you know how dangerous this is for you to try and do this alone?", Frankie exclaimed.

"I knew Will would never let me kill him, Frankie. But you, you understand. I know you want to put a bullet in him as bad as I do, after he suffers first. Especially after he tried to take the twins.", Erin said angrily.

"Ah yes, I apologize for not congratulating you sooner on the birth of your son and daughter!", Ollerman said to Frankie.

Frankie raised her gun and shot Ollerman twice, one in the shoulder and one in the leg.

"There's one bullet for each of them. Keep them out of your mouth or you'll get two more for each time you bring them up." Frankie warned him.

"Erin, I know you think this will make you feel better but trust me, your brother and I have been down this road and it won't give you payback, it will just cost you more." Frankie pleaded with Erin.

"No, I have to do this for Jacob and the baby. He needs to feel the pain the way I feel it.", Erin said, her voice shaking.

"Erin, this bastard, no matter what we do to him, he will never feel remorse. You have to have a soul to feel remorse and he doesn't have one. You do. Don't let him turn you into the same soulless ass that he is." Frankie said calmingly.

"You should listen to her.", Ollerman interjected.

"Jai!", Frankie yelled.

Jai took his knife and threw it at Ollerman, severing two of his fingers.

"Hey, look at that Francesca, I still got it!", Jai said excitedly.

Erin pulled out her pistol and walked over to Ollerman. Raising it to his head, she contemplated Frankie's words. Ollerman, believing he would be shot in the head at any moment, closed his eyes. As soon as he closed his eyes, Erin lowered her pistol and shot Ollerman in the groin.

Frankie and Jai looked at each other, eyes wide and eyebrows raised at how painful that must be to Ollerman, while still trying to stay in the seriousness of the moment.

"Erin, come on. Put the gun down. We'll take it from here. He's not getting away with this or anything else anymore. I promise!", Frankie again pleaded.

Erin, still shaking from her anger and emotional pain, lowered her weapon and walked over to Frankie. She handed her pistol to Frankie and hugged her as she broke down. Frankie understood all too well how Erin felt. She wasn't done with Ollerman either, not by a long shot, but Frankie knew Erin didn't have the kills she had on her conscious and she wouldn't wish that type of pain on anyone she loved.

Frankie put Erin's pistol on the chair beside the table Ollerman was tied up on. She told Erin to take a break, go to the bathroom, and wash her face while she took care of Ollerman.

Ollerman looked Frankie in the eye and said, "I know I should be scared but your husband's changed you so much that I know you're not going to do the things you're capable of. No, you see, that would take you back to the person you used to be. The person you've tried so hard to forget."

Frankie, knowing Ollerman was trying to play mind games with her, said, "You're right about one thing. Being a wife and mother has changed me, but where you're wrong is assuming it's made me soft. Your biggest mistake was coming after my family. The one thing I care most about in this world, even more than myself. See, I'm more deadly than I've ever been when it comes to protecting them. I have no problem killing anything or anyone that tries to hurt them. And guess who's at the top of my list?" Frankie said, with a smirky grin.

"I've given you two bullets for coming after my kids but I still owe you one for coming after Will. Let's see, where oh where should it go? How about here?", Frankie asked as she put the gun to his head.

"No, too easy. How about here?", she asked again, putting the gun to his heart.

"No, you'd have to have a heart for that one to kill you. How about...well I was going to say your manly parts but it looks like Erin already ruined your weekend for you.", Frankie said smiling.

"I know. How about I shoot you in the chest the way you wanted me to shoot Will in the chest when you made your escape back at the Hive? Yeah, that sounds good!, Frankie said, as she pulled the trigger and shot Ollerman in the right side of his chest. She knew it would collapse his lung but not kill him, at least not yet.

"Ok, Jai, cut him down. We'll take him in, if he makes it that long.", Frankie instructed.

Jai cut Ollerman down. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Ollerman shoved Jai and grabbed Erin's gun on the table, pointing it at Jai. Frankie raised her gun and pointed it at Ollerman.

"I'm going to walk out of here or I put a bullet in him.", Ollerman said, barely able to breathe.

"Go ahead, you won't get far.", Frankie promised.

Ollerman held Jai at gunpoint as he walked toward an open bay door. As they got close to the door, Jai elbowed Ollerman to get away. Ollerman ran out into the opening, gun pointed in Jai's direction. Just then, a shot rang out from on top of the embankment and Ollerman fell to his knees. Ollerman tried to raise the gun in the direction of the shot, when another shot rang out, then another, then another, all hitting Ollerman in various places of the chest. Ollerman, on his knees, looked down at his chest just as a black knife pierced his heart, making him fall down for good.

Erin, hearing the shots, ran out of the bathroom to see Frankie and Jai standing in the doorway. As she got closer to them, she saw Ollerman laid out on the ground. Looking past him and up on the embankment, she saw the shadow of a familiar sniper get up and head in her direction. She knew immediately it was Will. Behind him emerged Susan, Ray, and Standish, checking Ollerman to make sure he was dead and removing the gun from his presence, then returning Jai's knife to him. Erin ran up to Will and embraced him.

"I'm sorry little brother. I didn't want to get you involved. I wanted to kill this bastard myself for what he did to me, Jacob, our baby, and you, Frankie and your family. Please don't be mad at Frankie. I asked her to keep this from you. I didn't think you would let me outright kill him.", Erin explained through her tears.

"Actually, Frankie didn't tell me. I knew you were tracking him for a while now. I was just watching your back, sis.", Will said, hugging Erin.

Erin thought she had covered all the bases. What she didn't realize is that Will, through one of his conversations with Ray, figured out not long after Erin left that day at the Dead Drop that one of the files was missing. When Ray was able to get another copy of that file, Will knew exactly what happened to the original and that Erin had an agenda of her own. He didn't want to confront her since they had just gotten back on speaking terms. He also understood the depth of her pain and knew he wouldn't be able to talk her down. Instead, he enlisted Jai and Standish's help to keep tabs on her and to report back with any intel that revealed what she had planned.

* * *

Will and Frankie personally escorted Ollerman's body to the morgue and witnessed the autopsy themselves. Once the case was closed, Will collected each of the bullets from the autopsy and made his infamous necklaces for each member of the team, except for Jai, who, by preference, got a pocketknife made out of the sniper bullet casing that Will shot Ollerman with.

It wasn't by luck that each member got a shot at Ollerman. Frankie and Jai set him up perfectly when untying Ollerman. They weren't that sloppy and the previous shots from Frankie were strategically placed so he would be incapacitated but still able to make a run for it with a gun that Ollerman thought was loaded but Frankie unloaded prior to placing it within his reach. Knowing he'd need leverage, Jai willingly went with him to the doorway, at which time he elbowed him, again aware that Ollerman would have a raised gun once he got outside, giving the team probable cause to shoot him as a threat. By the time backup arrived to remove the body, the gun Ollerman held was once again loaded. No one questioned the use of deadly force. His other injuries had been attributed to a fight at his hideout, which appeared to have been attacked by a rival crime syndicate, based on the injuries of Ollerman's dead security team.

* * *

Back at the Dead Drop, everyone raised a glass to a successful mission. Will presented each of them, including Erin, with their bullet necklace and Jai with his pocketknife. Frankie was ecstatic to get another necklace and promised to keep the other two in a safe place for the twins when they got older.

Ray didn't miss an opportunity to mention that, the fact that Frankie shot Ollerman two extra times to get a necklace for each of her kids, confirmed that he should still be deathly afraid of her.

Frankie laughed as she said, "Yeah you should!"

Will, having the team all together, asked them if they'd thought about the proposal Will and Frankie had made to them a couple of weeks ago.

Jai, without hesitation, said, "As weird as this is going to sound coming from me, you guys are the only family I have. Wherever you go, I go."

Frankie walked up to Jai and said smiling, "As weird as this might be coming from me, I'm going to hug you now."

Standish spoke next. "Look, I can't let my mom and dad go out on their own like that. They know nothing about technology. I know you may have wanted me to spread my wings and leave the nest, but I'm staying."

"Thanks, son.", Will replied.

Ray and Susan were next. "Seeing you guys with the twins helped us realize how precious time can be and how important it is to cherish every moment. Plus, since we'll be having a little one of our own about seven months from now, we figure now is as good of a time as any to start fresh with you guys!", Susan said excitedly.

Frankie ran over and hugged Susan as they couldn't contain their excitement.

"I was wondering why you turned down the whiskey earlier for the toast.", Frankie said.

Will walked over and congratulated Ray. "I'm truly happy for you guys. It will be the best thing to ever happen to you, Ray."

"Thanks, Will. I appreciate that, bro.", Ray said, hugging Will.

Erin, not missing a beat, declared, "Looks like I'll be the new director for the spy kids daycare."

Frankie brought a round of drinks, including seltzer water for her and Susan. As everyone grabbed their glasses, they looked at Will, who said, "To family!"

"To family!", they all said in unison.

* * *

Two weeks later, life was settling into normal for Will and Frankie. They had finally finished unpacking, Will's parents had returned home, and Erin was settling in nicely as the nanny. There plans were coming along for their private firm, and they felt as though they could finally relax and enjoy their family now that Ollerman was dead.

As Will and Frankie sat on the couch trying to decide on a movie to watch, they heard Erin in the kitchen on her phone.

"Is she talking to Jai again?", Will asked Frankie.

"I think so. I've never seen Jai talk that much in his life, much less on the phone. I think they may like each other.", Frankie said laughing.

"Either that or they're planning ways to eavesdrop on us.", Will said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Erin yelled from the kitchen, "We already did that you dork. And if you must know, we're trying to nail down the details on that sound proof wall, you animals!"

Will and Frankie laughed as Erin walked back down the hall to her room.

"Hey Whiskey?", Frankie said as she climbed on Will's lap and started kissing him.

"Yeah, Fiery?", Will replied, kissing her back and running his hands down to her waist.

"Let's go give them something to really talk about while we work on that Full House!", Frankie grinned without breaking the contact of their lips.

"Roger that!", Will replied as he stood up, Frankie wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to their bedroom.


End file.
